The Elementals
by Talilea
Summary: They are known as the Elementals. They heard the call of the elements. With a contract of a blood pact they now wield the power of the element they heard. Full Summary/Prologue inside. Yaoi SasuNaru. Inspired by Avatar. Rating will change as story cont.
1. Prologue

Author's Note: This first little note here is to all my fans of my DGM work. I am sincerely sorry about not updating them. To see the full reason why please see my profile page. I have NOT given up on them I just need some time to get back into the groove of writing them. They are still very just as dear and precious to me as you, my readers, are.

With that said Naruto muses, plot bunnies, and ideas are swimming through my head. I can't not write. It's in my blood I swear!! This one is almost writing itself in my head and I have planned out many chapters. This fic is going to be my first semi…kind of…I guess the best word would be crossover but it's not really as I have not taken any characters from the other show…I don't know what to call it really…

Anyways this is an AU story. I like them better because it gives me a chance to let my imagination run free. This is solely Naruto characters and a few minor OC's thrown in. They will only be in the fic as like food stand people and people with knowledge on certain things. I have added another show, like I was saying, into the mix. But what I did was steal the ideas behind the show and threw it at the Naruto characters.

The show I'm talking about is Avatar. For those of you who have not seen it I say see it!! I love it! It's cute, humorous, serious, and has some wicked magic/jutsu in it. You will NOT need to see Avatar to understand this story. I am only 'borrowing' the idea of Bending, the fighting styles, and the idea of one person being the 'Avatar'. This story will have nothing to do with Avatar and there will be no Aang, Katara, or Tof.

I am taking the Avatar ideas and throwing them into the Naruto world and then adding my own mixes as well. I just happened to be watching Avatar and this story jumped into my head so quickly I almost got a headache. ^_^

**WARNING**: This story, like all my stories, is **YAOI!!!!!!** You have been warned!! If you don't like yaoi than LEAVE NOW! The pairing so far is SasuNaru and I don't know if I will have a side pairing or not. You, as my readers, can help decide on that one. Review if think there should be one otherwise there is more than likely not going to be a side pairing. There will be violence, sexual material, blood, gore, and more than likely torture. This is a semi dark fic. YOU. HAVE. BEEN. WARNED!

**Blanket Disclaimer:** Naruto is not mine!! Avatar is not mine!! I am just borrowing them because the voices in my head told me to!

Please enjoy!! Please review!! Hugs!! Tal ^_~

**The Elementals**

**Prologue**

They call themselves Elementals. They are the ones that heard the call of the world. They are ones that could hear the sweet voices of the five elements that covered the world and created life. Every element has a voice and those who heard these voices called back. The elements in turn asked these people for a show of their worth. To show that they were willing to go to any length in order to continue to hear the call of the elements these people offered their blood as a sign of their devotion. Thus contracts were created. A seal was forever marked upon their flesh. This mark differed from other elements and it was not uncommon for those who heard the call of fire to also hear the call of lightning. The same went for earth and sand or water and plant life.

However one element was more silent than all the others. This was the wind. The wind hardly ever spoke to the people of the world. Some say that the wind was waiting for those to show their true worth and value. Many people spend days, months, years and even decades listening for the wind. These people ended up becoming Nomads. They traveled the world listening and hoping to one day hear this powerful element. Because of this the Wind Nomads created temples throughout the world and unlike the other Elementals they did not settle solely in one place. The other Elementals did settle and the five great nations were created.

Tsuchi no Kuni. The Land of Earth. Home of the Earth Elementals. These peoples are known to be stubborn but patient. They are the people of the Earth element. They live surrounded by rocks and the high peaks of the mountain ranges of the southern lands. Tsuchi no Kuni is considered one of the five great nations.

Mizu no Kuni. The Land of Water. Home of the Water Elementals. These peoples are known to be carefree and easy going however they can became a raging typhoon when crossed. They live in the many islands of the eastern lands. Mizu no Kuni is considered one of the five great nations.

Kaminari no Kuni. The Land of Lightning. Home of the Lightning Elementals. These people are known to be loners but love staying near the waters of the world. They live in the humid, dry lands of the west with their beloved water at their backs. Kaminari no Kuni is considered one of the five great nations.

Kaze no Kuni. The Land of Wind. Home of Earth and Lightning Elementals. Kaze no Kuni is the only land in the world that is not home of its birth name Elementals. The land is wide, open, and filled with miles of sand. It got its name because once a wind blows through the vast sand plains nothing can stop it. This land attracted Earth Elementals who wished to create a bond with sand. Lightning Elementals came to create glass from the sand and to see if the glass they created would listen to their commands. Soon Kaze no Kuni became one of the five great nations.

Hi no Kuni. The Land of Fire. Home of the Fire Elementals. These people are quick to rage but are also known to be full of passion for their fellow man. They live in the center of the lands and are surrounds by all the other lands of the world. They were the first to start the pacts with the elements and soon Hi no Kuni started to try and make peace with the other great nations. Hi no Kuni is one of the five great nations.

Though Hi no Kuni tried to create peace it seemed that not all the other Elementals wished for this same fate. Some Elementals bonded better with other Elementals while some raged against each other. Water and Fire. Earth and Wind. Lightning and Earth. No matter what Hi no Kuni tried it seemed that some nations just couldn't seem to get along with each other. So the Great Elemental War began.

This war raged for years upon years. The powers that were released wrecked havoc unto the world. Peoples of the smaller villages and nations were the biggest victims as they did not have the money or resources needed in order to continuously rebuild their small nations. Hi no Kuni never gave up faith that one day they would all live in peace together. Because of their undying devotion to create peace the Elements of the world answered this call.

In order to create peace all the elements needed to come together as one. Only when all the elements were together as one would the other nations and peoples see that peace was a future not so far away. The elements created the Jinchuuriki. The Jinchuuriki was a person born with the ability to hear all the five elements. They would start off hearing one element, their birth element, but as time would go on they would hear all the others. The first Jinchuuriki was born to Hi no Kuni. This Fire Elemental soon became a great leader and through his hard work and dedication to life; peace was finally achieved.

For centuries the peoples of the world lived in peace and it soon became apparent that there was only ever going to be one Jinchuuriki at one time and when the current Jinchuuriki died a new one was born. Every time a new Jinchuuriki was born he or she was born to a different element but no matter what element they were born to they still could hear the voices of the other four elements. It also became clear that the Jinchuuriki were being born in a continuous cycle that never changed thus never giving one element more power than the others. The cycle was always Fire, Wind, Water, Earth than Lightning.

The people discovered that the Jinchuuriki was born with the seal of their birth element. No other child was ever born with their seal already upon their flesh and because of this it made it easy to identify who was the next Jinchuuriki. It was also noted that each Jinchuuriki looked ethereal, handsome, beautiful and over all had a presence that drew people to him or her. Most people of the land trained long and hard to become worthy warriors of the Jinchuuriki.

However, in the darkness and shadows of the lands, a new threat was brewing. A group of Elementals didn't believe that one person alone should have the power of all the elements. This band of Elementals planned and plotted to capture the Jinchuuriki and find ways of stealing his or her abilities to hear the call of all elements. This band became known as Akatsuki, the Red Moon.

In order to stop the Jinchuuriki from being captured, tortured and ultimately killed the five great nations trained themselves to fight not only with their abilities but with their bodies and weapons as well. Once the Jinchuuriki was found they were protected and welcomed wherever they went for the Jinchuuriki still symbolized hope and peace.

But the Akatsuki were not to be stopped. They wished for the power and as such they started to turn to darker and more sinister arts of the lands. They used any and all means to change themselves so that the five great nations would fear them and so that they would be on more even ground when facing the Jinchuuriki. But as the years and decades rolled by the Akatsuki started to realize that they needed to know who the new Jinchuuriki was before the actually Jinchuuriki was born.

The Akatsuki captured the Fire Jinchuuriki, also known as the Hokage, and spirited him away. Once they knew that other Elementals would never find them they did the more horrible and bloody thing. They attacked the Wind Nomads. They attacked and killed all the Wind Nomads that they could find. They left none alive in the hopes that they would be able to break the cycle and the power from the death of the current Jinchuuriki would be pasted to those present at the death of the Hokage.

Since the Wind Nomads were more peaceful and spiritual than the other Elementals they didn't see this as a massacre but as a test to their devotion to their beloved element. However that did not mean that they would willingly go quietly. For the first time in the history of the five great nations the Wind Nomads unleashed their fury upon the lands. The Wind Nomads killed more Akatsuki than all the other nations combined.

But they were still no match for the number of Akatsuki and the power that they wielded. As a last ditch effort to make sure that the Akatsuki never broke the chain of the Jinchuuriki the Wind Nomads sent all their pregnant Nomads out into the other five nations in hopes that one of them would give birth to the next Jinchuuriki.

Once the Akatsuki believed that they had killed all the Wind Nomads they destroyed the Hokage but once the Hokage breathed his last breath they knew that they had failed. For upon the Hokage's last breath a smile appeared upon his face saying that the elements still wished and hoped for peace and that the new child would bring an end to the senseless death and horror that was the Akatsuki. With that the Hokage died.

In the hidden mountain ranges of Hi no Kuni a shrill cry rang out. A small child had been born. The birth maiden with her long twin tailed honey hair and moist brown eyes stared down at the child that she had helped deliver. The mother was in a lot of pain and was suffering just to give birth to her child. A tall long white haired man gently brushed the red sweat drenched hair from the mother's face. The two who had helped with the birth knew that without a Water Elemental nearby that the mother was not going to live much longer.

The honey haired woman gently placed the child within his mother's arms and warm, but tired and fading, eyes gazed at her child. Short golden hair haloed the boy's head. The red haired woman gently rubbed at his cheeks as her eyes fall upon the three marks that adored his cheeks. Upon feeling the gentle touch two eyes opened and revealed clear, sparkling, glowing sapphire eyes.

A tear ran down the cheek of the red haired woman as she pulled the swaddle away from his son in order to look upon the flesh of his stomach. Her eyes shone with pride as the seal of the Wind Nomad appeared on his flesh. She had done it. She had lived long enough to see that her Clan was not going to die off completely. Another Wind Nomad had been born and this one was the most special of all.

"I need you…you two to…promise me…" The woman gasped slightly for air as she felt the flicker of death rubbing at her body, "no one is to…know he…he lives…"

The two people beside the dying mother nodded knowing that their words would fail them. They two of them were not Wind Nomads and thus did not know any of their traditions or customs but they did know what the seal on the baby's flesh meant and what kind of fate the child would have if the world did know the child was alive.

"He…will need you…he will…be the…be the…" A cough shook the woman's frail body as her hand shook while trying to wrap the child once again within the warmth of the swaddle.

"We will help him." The honey haired woman said softly.

"We will guide him." The white haired man smiled as he spoke.

"Th..thank you…" Her eyes dimmed, her breath rattled from her lips as she slowly closed her eyes. "My…beautiful…Naruto…" A single tear slid down her cheek as her last breath joined the wind that she loved so much.

/…/…/

Author's Note: So there you have it. This fic only has elements from Avatar. It will not follow the Avatar plot at all nor with there be any characters from said show. I am just taking the bending and the whatnots from it. I hope you all like it so far. Please let me know what you think so far. Chapter One will be coming out really quickly. Reviews make me happy!! Again everyone who is a fan of my DGM fics I'm sssssssoooooooooooo sorry!!! I am trying!! Hugs all!! Tal ^_^


	2. Chapter One: Meeting

Author's Note: Thankies for the reviews and the alerts everyone!!! I actually don't have much to say at the beginning and for me that has to be a first. Please read, enjoy, and review!! Hugs! Tal ^_^

**WARNING**: This story, like all my stories, is **YAOI!!!!!!** You have been warned!! If you don't like yaoi than LEAVE NOW! The pairing so far is SasuNaru and I don't know if I will have a side pairing or not. You, as my readers, can help decide on that one. Review if think there should be one otherwise there is more than likely not going to be a side pairing. There will be violence, sexual material, blood, gore, and more than likely torture. This is a semi dark fic. YOU. HAVE. BEEN. WARNED!

**Blanket Disclaimer:** Naruto is not mine!! Avatar is not mine!! I am just borrowing them because the voices in my head told me to!

_Italics_ – thoughts

/../../ - scene change

//\\//\\ - dream/flashback

**The Elementals**

**Chapter One: Meetings**

Blue flames danced around the tall dark haired young man. His face was relaxed yet the look of cool determination was clearly written upon his face. His dark raven hair flicked, floated in the heated air that his flames created as his raised his arms out to his sides. Sapphire eyes sparkled with interest as he watched the young man. By his height and his face the blue eyed teen could easily guess that the raven in the clearing in the forest was only a few years old than he was.

This was his first time seeing another Elemental other than the Ero-Sannin or Baa-chan. It was also his first time seeing someone using blue flames. Ero-Sannin had told him that certain Clans had special pacts with the elements and this was seen mostly through their abilities to command the element. Naruto didn't understand but now that he was seeing it firsthand he now knew what the old man had talking about.

Golden spikes of hair fell across his forehead as he tilted his head upon seeing a slight glow coming from the bicep of the teen in the field. Naruto worried at his lip. He wanted to get closer. He wanted to talk to the teen maybe even spare with him as Naruto could feel the great powers within the raven. But he knew that he couldn't. He had been told his whole life that he was not to talk or be near other people. That they were never to know that he was even alive.

_But why…Why can't I just say 'hello'? It couldn't be that bad could it? I can command water so it's not like he would have the advantage. It's not like he could hurt me…I want to talk to __**somebody**__! _Naruto was torn from his thoughts as the raven's flames grew and the teen started to move through stances at a rapid pace. Sapphire eyes widened as he watched. Kick, block, thrust, sweep. Flames dances from his limbs with precision and deadly accuracy.

The raven turned swiftly as he leap towards the branches of the tree to Naruto's immediate left. He bit his bit to stop the yell of surprise as he quickly twisted around the trunk of the tree. As much as he wanted to talk with another person be didn't feel like dealing with the wrath of Baa-chan. Naruto shuddered slightly as he flipped around the tree and ghosted up to a higher position as not to be seen.

"Little brother, Father is asking for you."

Naruto's azure eyes widened as a deep voice sounded below him. The teen in the opposite tree turned as well to the voice as his eyes opened. Naruto couldn't look away. They were a deep, rich, vastness of purest onyx that Naruto had ever seen. They were the eyes of a hunter and yet there was something within their depths that called out but with what Naruto was not sure.

"Itachi."

The one called Itachi smiled softly as he crossed his arms and leaned across the tree that Naruto was currently hiding in. "You know that you are not to be training in the forest. Only Flame Masters are allowed to be alone with the woods while they train."

The raven stood and slid out of the tree. His feet touched down with the barest of sounds as he walked towards the taller man. "This is the Uchiha Forest and I am an Uchiha. I can train within the grounds if I so choose."

Itachi shook his head slightly as he reached his hand out and rustled the raven's hair. The younger of the two ravens growled as he smacked the hand away. "Aw little brother that is not true. If the Elders were to find out that you had broken the rules they would be swift with their punishment; whether you were an Uchiha or not."

"Hn." The raven stepped back from Itachi and started to walk towards the village. Naruto wanted nothing more than to jump out the tree and ask them what an 'Uchiha' was or why only 'Masters' could train alone or what an 'Elder' was but he knew he couldn't and he knew that he would have to watch these two people walk back to the village that he was not allowed to enter.

"So Sasuke," Naruto's eyes lightened. _Is that the teen raven's name?! His name is Sasuke?! _"Are you sure that you were alone out here?"

Sasuke stopped as his head tilted over his shoulder to look at the taller raven haired man, "Yes."

Itachi smirked as, for the briefest of moments, his head shifted to look up into the tree before looking back at Sasuke. "I don't think you will be making Master this time either little brother."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as Itachi walked towards him. "I will to make the fucking Master list this year! I'm eighteen years old!"

Itachi patted his little brother's shoulder in passing as his deep voice carried through the forest. "There are many mysterious things in the forest that you are still unaware of my little brother."

Sasuke's deep eyebrow rose before he shook his head softly and ran after his brother. Naruto grasped at his chest. The older one, Itachi, knew he had been there. He had looked up into the tree that he was hiding in. _But…_ Naruto's clamped fist over his chest loosened as he let his breathing return to normal. _But if the people were really going to hurt me, like Ero-Sannin said, than why didn't Itachi jump into the tree and attack me?_

Naruto gave his head a shake as he glanced to the heavens. The sun had moved a lot since he had left the house in the mountains. Ero-Sannin and Baa-chan both worked in the village, Konoha, and they always returned to their mountain home just before dark. As long as he was home long before that time the two of them needn't ever know that he had left the 'safety' of the house.

Naruto grinned as he straightened himself out on the branch. He could still feel the presence of Itachi and Sasuke but they weren't heading in the direction that he needed to go in so he didn't bother to worry about them any longer. Naruto's grin turned into a full blown smile. "Sasuke and Itachi…" Naruto laughed to himself. "Oh well time to head home!"

A yip of excitement escaped the golden haired teen as he shot through the forest. The trees were mere blurs of browns and greens as the wind wrapped around him and shot him forward faster and faster. Excitement, merriment, and the overwhelming high of freedom coursed through Naruto as he called and bended the wind to his needs as he flew harder and faster towards the mountains and to towards his home.

/…/../

Naruto jumped through his bedroom window and landed soundlessly on the carpeted rooms. His heart was racing and his breathing was coming out in quick pants. He didn't know if it was because of his high speeded run or the fact that he had seen two villagers _and_ learned that their names were Sasuke and Itachi. Even as it was he wanted to go running back to the forest clearing and wait to see if either of them would come back. Of course he would have to be a little more careful around the one known as Itachi. After all Itachi had looked up into the tree and if Naruto hadn't felt the slight shift in the wind Itachi would have seen him before he moved his head out of the way.

"Oi gaki! I'm home!" Naruto jumped as the female voice boomed through the house. His blonde hair whipped about on his head as he twisted quickly to look out the window. The sun was setting; washing the distant horizon with hundreds of oranges, reds, purples, and blues. _Shit! Where did the time go?!_

"Gaki where are you?!" Naruto could hear her starting to climb the stairs. _Shit! Shit! Shit!_ Naruto licked his lips as ideas flew through his head. A quickly, and quietly, as he could he stripped out of his traveling cloak and threw it into the corner of his messy room.

"I'm coming Baa-chan!" Naruto ripped off his plain orange shirt as he skirted around the room looking for his training tunic. _Baa-chan will never believe that I was training if I am not dressed like it! Damn it why did I have to run so fast! I'm covered in sweat!_

"Don't call me 'Baa-chan' you blonde gaki! What are you doing it there?"

Naruto blanched as the handle of his room slid down and the door slowly creaked open. Large sapphire eyes turned to look at the woman that had helped raise him. Her hair had grown a little longer over the years but it was still honey colored and still tied into twin tails. Her mocha eyes stared at Naruto as he willed himself to stop panting. "I…I'm changing Baa-chan…"

A single honey eyebrow rose as she stared Naruto down. He knew that she was searching him to see if he was telling the truth. Naruto could feel his cheeks warming as he slowly slid his training tunic off his arms. _Does she know? She'll never let me leave the house again if she does…_

"We need to talk Naruto. When Jiraiya gets home we will talk. Take a shower, get changed, and by then he should be home."

Naruto nodded dumbly as Tsunade bowed out of the room, closing the door behind her. Naruto slowly slid to the floor. He was shaking and he couldn't figure out why. Well actually he could, in a way. The way that baa-chan had said 'we need to talk' was never a good sign. She had only ever said those words to Naruto when bad news was to follow. He was not looking forward to this talk.

Naruto nodded to himself as he slowly rose to his feet. He walked to his closet and pulled out a clean set of night clothing. There was no point in changing into traveling clothes again and he had a feeling that he would not be doing any night training this cool evening. Naruto slid his door open and padded across the hall to the main bath. As he opened the door he could hear the tell tale sounds of dinner being started. _What could she have to say to me this time…_

/…/…/

Naruto picked at his food as he looked between Jiraiya and Tsunade. They both were looking everywhere but at him. He knew something was up. Usually their dinners were filled with exciting tales of Naruto's solo training in the woods by their house or tales of Jiraiya's travels as he wrote his books and sometimes Tsunade would tell tales about the workings of Konoha as she was the Hokage of the village. But tonight no one spoke. A few times Naruto opened his mouth to speak but all he had done today was sneak off to try and get a better look at the village. That was something he was _not_ going to being saying at the dinner table.

Jiraiya slowly ate his fish as he eyes flicked to Tsunade. Tsunade shook her head ever so slightly as she continued to try and eat her meal. Naruto was getting frustrated. Baa-chan had said that she wanted to talk and that they were going to wait for Ero-Sannin but now that said man was present they didn't seem to want to talk. Naruto hated silence. He was stuck all day with silence.

"Ano…"

Both Tsunade and Jiraiya started slightly as they continued to stare at their food. Naruto's eyebrows drew together. This was getting old and fast. He wanted someone to speak! _This is just getting stupid! Are they waiting for me to confess to going to the village?! I did but it's not like anyone saw me! Okay well…I was almost seen but he didn't do anything!_

"Baa-chan you wanted to talk…" Naruto mentally cringed at how soft his voice had come out. Again Tsunade was silent but she had at least placed her chopsticks down and was looking at him. Okay so she wasn't looking directly at him but her head was at least turned in his direction. "Ero-Sannin?" Jiraiya placed his chopsticks down as well as he turned towards Naruto.

"Naruto…"

Naruto growled out as he threw his chopsticks at the table. One hit his plate and bounced half way across the table while the either just bounced once where it landed. "Enough of this! What did you need to talk to me about?!"

Tsunade's eyes hardened as she glared at Naruto, "Don't take that tone with us gaki!"

Naruto sighed, rolled his eyes, as he ran a hand through his messy spiky hair, "I wouldn't have to if the two of you would just tell me what it is that has you both so silent! You said that you wanted to speak to me and here I am."

Jiraiya sighed as he leaned back in his chair. He closed his eyes as he let out a calming breath, "Naruto this is a little more difficult than anything that we have had to tell you before."

Tsunade sighed as well but she just reached for the sake bottle as silence once again enveloped the three sitting at the table. Naruto huffed out as he slouched in his chair. "Continue Ero-Sannin. It will only be harder the longer you keep it in."

Jiraiya's eyes opened in slight surprise before he laughed softly, "True. That is true. Naruto you know who you are," Naruto nodded as he placed his hand over his navel, "And you know that I am an Flame Master and Tsunade is a Water Master," Again Naruto nodded not seeing where this was going, "Well you are a Wind Master and just recently became a Water Master."

Naruto's head fell to the side and he sighed, "Yeah I know. Baa-chan tested me herself two months ago and I pasted. So that means that you are going to be teaching me Fire next."

"Actually gaki we aren't."

Naruto's head whipped so quickly to Tsunade's quietly uttered words that he heard his neck crack, "What?! Why not! I thought that since I learned Water from you Baa-chan that I would be learning Fire from Ero-Sannin."

Jiraiya reached for the sake bottle and poured himself a cup, "There is a certain order to things Naruto. You must learn the elements as all those before you have. After Water is not Fire it's Earth. But neither Tsunade nor myself are Earth Elementals."

Naruto felt a spark of excitement enter him. _If neither of them are Masters of Earth than that would mean that I would have to learn from someone else…this could mean I could finally go into the village!_ Naruto's eyes widened as he leaned forward, "So does this mean that I would have to get a new Master?!"

Tsunade bit her lip as she turned away from Naruto. He could feel the little flame of hope in his chest start to diminish. _They wouldn't…_ "No…please Baa-chan! No!"

Jiraiya made to reach forward and grasp Naruto's hand but the teen pulled his hand away, "Listen Naruto we have been working on a way to train you ourselves. We've done a lot of research and we are very confident that we could teach you."

Naruto shook his head, "No! What if I have a question? What if I do something wrong! What if I need you to _show_ me how to move the Earth!? Please don't do this! Baa-chan, Ero-Sannin please don't do this!"

"We know how you feel Naruto…"

Naruto's eyes flashed as he glared at Tsunade, "You have no idea how I feel! I always knew the time would come when I would need another Master but I always thought that I would be leaving to go and train with them! You even told me that Konoha is a multi-element village. I thought that there would be a Master there that would teach me! I _need_ to get out here!"

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed as he reached out and grabbed Naruto's hand, forcing the blonde to look at him, "You know why we can't let that happen! You could get killed!"

Naruto's eye's started to tear as the sapphire of his eyes started to glow. "I am already dying! I can't stay here anymore! I want to meet people! I want to talk to people, laugh with people, meet people my own age!"

Tsunade grasped Naruto's other hand as the teen tried to pull away. _No! I will not stay here! I will leave tonight. It can't be that hard to find an Earth Master. I will go off and learn by myself! _

"Naruto you must understand. Look what happened to the Wind Nomads! The Akatsuki killed them all Naruto! All of them! If they ever found out that you were alive there would be no safe place for anywhere!"

Naruto's eye's shone with the brilliance of a thousand blazing suns as Tsunade and Jiraiya where shot back and away from him. The wind whipped, pooled, cocooned the teen as he rose to his feet. "_So by thinking that locking me away will help the people that the Akatsuki are hurting will keep me safe? I am the Jinchuuriki. I am meant to help the people find peace and to live with the elements. By making me stay here the balance of nature is being destroyed and people are dying. I will not stay anymore. I will find my own Master and I will complete my training like all those who have come before me._"

Tsunade slowly sat up as he looked at Naruto. She knew that this was not the happy go lucky teen that she had raised since he was a baby. This was the Jinchuuriki. This was the awesome power of the one that was destined to bring peace and balance to the people. It had stayed silent because the boy was learning Water from her but now that the golden teen needed a new Master the Jinchuuriki spirit had awakened.

Jiraiya lowered his head after looking upon the greatest power of any Elemental. People dreamed of having power but no one would know what it was like to have true power unless they were the Jinchuuriki. Naruto's whole being emitted a sheer force of power but also flowed with kindness and care. The boy was no longer a boy. He was a man and he was the Jinchuuriki. Jiraiya knew in his heart that they could no longer shield the boy from the outside world. They could not longer keep him a secret from the Akatsuki. The Jinchuuriki spirit within Naruto knew what needed to be done and if they tried to stop him they would lose Naruto as, Jiraiya, knew that the young man would leave.

"We will think of a way to get you within Konoha tomorrow. But please understand Naruto that it is not wise to go around showing off that you are a Wind Nomad. I can tell you that the people of Konoha are very understanding but that doesn't mean that you're survival wouldn't somehow travel on the winds and soon people in other villages could hear of the last Wind Nomad." Tsunade stated as she got to her feet and walked towards Naruto.

Jiraiya stood as well and watched as the glowing eyes followed both the people that had raised him as they came closer, "_I can understand that. If the Akatsuki were to come for me now it would put me at a disadvantage. But I will not hide who I am any longer nor will I go out of my way to show these people that I am a Wind Master. We will leave for the village first thing in the morning._"

Naruto stumbled slightly as he felt the great power leaving him. He had always felt that power within him but this was the first time that he had ever been completely one with it. It was strange but at the same time it was the first time that he had ever felt so complete. Naruto smiled softly as a wave of dizziness and fatigue washed over him. He didn't hear what Jiraiya yelled at him as he felt himself slipping from the world and falling into a pool of darkness so inviting that he couldn't help but feel completely safe.

/…/…/

The sun shone with a brightness that Naruto had never seen before. He was beyond excited as he waited for Jiraiya to finally exit the house. Tsunade had left before sun rise as she had to get ready for today's Flame tests. He was finally going to go to Konoha! _I can't believe it! Finally! I hope I get to see Sasuke and Itachi! _"Come on Ero-Sannin! I want to go to the village already!"

The door of the house opened to reveal a grinning Jiraiya, "Hold on your panties I'm coming."

Naruto gawked at the old man, "I don't wear panties!"

Jiraiya laughed as he turned to look at the boy. A quizzical look appeared on Jiraiya's face as he pointed at Naruto, "What are you wearing?"

Naruto grinned as he raised his arms. He was wearing the outfit that Baa-chan had chosen for him. She said that he would be able to fit in better if he looked like an Elemental from another village. So he was currently wearing a sleeveless deep blue tunic, tight midnight black pants with matching deep blue stripes running the length of his legs. Wrapped around it waist was a simple deep orange sash with a deep blue belt running around the center of the sash. In the center of his blue belt was the symbol of the Water Master. On his feet he wore his usual black combat sandals and his forearms were wrapped in deep orange and deep blue protectors. Running on the outside of his forearm protectors were the symbols of the Water master.

"Baa-chan said that if anyone asks I'm to say that I am from Mizu no Kuni. She said that this is the normal outfit of a Water Master from Mizu no Kuni. Well everything but the orange but I just couldn't bring myself to wear the customary purple."

Jiraiya walked up to Naruto and rubbed his head, "You do look like one of their Masters but can you pull it off? Do you remember everything I taught you about Mizu no Kuni?"

Naruto grinned as he batted Jiraiya's hand away, "We have a long walk ahead of us don't we? You can quiz me as we walk."

"Wow…" Jiraiya walked past Naruto as his barking laugh filled the front yard of the house.

"What's so funny Ero-Sannin?!" Naruto yelled as he followed after the old man.

"I never thought that _you_ of all people would be using your head." Jiraiya laughed as Naruto chased him down the path yelling curses at the old man.

/…/…/

Naruto grinned as he walked through the gates of Konoha. _I made it! I finally entered the village! It only took seventeen years but I finally made it!_ Jiraiya smiled at the gate guards who waved and bowed. Jiraiya yelled something to them as they looked at Naruto but Naruto wasn't listening. He was instantly looking around the village. He had never actually seen inside the village before. The mountain range that they lived on only let him see the village from above but now that he was standing within the village he wanted to run in all directions at once.

Naruto was about to do just that when a hand landed on his shoulder. "Hold up there kiddo. We need to go over a few rules."

Naruto pouted as he crossed his arms, "I knew there was going to be a catch."

Jiraiya grinned as he patted Naruto's shoulder, "First here," Naruto barely caught the little green frog clasp purse that was thrown at him, "There is some money in there for you," Jiraiya leaned in closer, "You do remember how to use money right?"

Naruto sighed as he pocketed the purse in his satchel and nodded, "Yes Ero-Sannin I remember how to use the money."

"Good. Second is that I have a meeting with one of my old students. He is an Earth Master and I think he would be perfect to train you. I had been asking him many questions about Earth Elementals but now that you are here I will see if he can train you."

Naruto grinned as he bobbed his head, "Sweet! When will we start?!"

"Easy there kiddo. You won't be starting today. Today you can look around Konoha. Tsunade wants you present at the Flame Master tests though. She told the guards that she had asked a friend's student to come all the way from Mizu no Kuni to help make sure that none of the fires get out of hand and that means you."

Naruto nodded as his attention was once again being drawn to the many people walking around the street. A lot of people were looking at him but that was too expected. He was wearing the clothes of another village and the people had never seen him before. "Yup. Meet at test thingy."

Jiraiya sighed as he placed his hand on Naruto's head and forcibly turned the boy's attention back to him, "Third thing is that you are not to use your Wind at all. This is the most important rule. No Wind. You can use your Water if need be but only Water and that is if you really need to."

Naruto grinned, "Okay okay I get it. No Wind only Water. Can I go now?"

Jiraiya laughed at Naruto's impatience, "On one condition."

Naruto's eyebrows drew together, "One condition?"

"Where is the testing grounds?"

Naruto opened his mouth and drew a complete blank. "Uhm…"

Jiraiya sighed, "This is taking longer than I thought. Okay listen _again_ Naruto…"

/…/…/

Sasuke sat on the pier that over looked the lake. This was his favorite spot to sit and collect his thoughts. He was going to pass today. The Flame Master test was the hardest test out of all the Elemental tests as Fire had the most destruction power. His brother had been the youngest to ever pass the tests and Sasuke was determined to pass at the age of eighteen just like his brother.

Sasuke was also the youngest one in the running. The next youngest was Hyuuga Neji and he was only one year older than he was. But Neji, unlike Sasuke, had failed four times already. Sasuke had only failed two times. He knew that he wasn't ready at the age of fifteen and had decided to wait to start till he was at least sixteen. But Neji had been going to the tests since he was fifteen.

"Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke cringed slightly as the shrill female voice sounded through the calm morning. He was not looking forward to having to deal with her. Haruno Sakura was not even born in Konoha. She was born in Mizu no Kuni and had come to Konoha because her family was known for being excellent Water Elementals who specialized in Water Healing. Sakura had made it known to the world that she was the love of Sasuke's life even if he couldn't stand her.

"There you are! I was looking for you!"

Sasuke gritted his teeth as he slowly opened his eyes, "Hn."

Sakura sat down, to close for Sasuke's liking, as she looked over the water. "It's so beautiful here. I didn't know that you liked the water Sasuke-kun."

"I don't. It _was_ quiet here." Sasuke ignored Sakura's rambling as best he could as he tried to get his mind ready for the testings that would be happening later that day. But it seemed that fate was against him as he heard someone walking towards them as they sat on the pier.

Sasuke waited for Sakura to at least hear the new comer or talk to them because he knew that Sakura was always against people interrupting her 'Sasuke time' as she put it. But when the person that had been coming towards them stopped and Sakura didn't stop talking to him he started to wonder if there was even someone there.

Sasuke's eyes widened as a slightly deep but musical voice spoke over Sakura's rambling, "I don't think he likes to be disturbed with mindless chatting miss."

Sasuke turned around and his voice froze. Standing a few feet behind him was someone he had never seen before. Sakura turned, and by the look on her face was going to rip into him, but he mouth just hung open as she stared at the young man.

Golden hair swayed in the morning breeze. Sapphire eyes sparkled with mischief and three faint lines ran along both his cheeks. His clear blue eyes weren't looking at either of them as they stared out over the lake. Sasuke took his time looking over the young man's attire and the more he looked the more his eyes widened. The main thing that drew his attention was the symbol on his belt. It was the waves of a Water Master.

_How is that even possible?! This…this…__**kid**__ looks younger than me and he is already a Master?! Sakura isn't even a Master and she is the same age as me!_ Sasuke slowly rose and made sure that he was in the same line of sight so that he could have the blonde's attention. "Who are you?"

A small smile appeared on the teen's face as he bowed slightly, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. And you are Sasuke…?"

Sasuke crossed his arms as he stared at the boy, "How do you know my name?"

"I could hear the pink haired girl's voice all the way to the path and she was calling you 'Sasuke-kun' so I took a guess that she was talking about you. Is your name just Sasuke or do you have a last name as well?"

Sasuke couldn't seem to place it but there was something about the blonde that was calling to him. It was as if something inside the boy called to his flame. He felt an urge to follow this blonde and to be his main focus at all times. _This is just messed up?! I'm a fucking Uchiha! If anything he should be following me around!_

"Uhm…Sasuke so do you?"

Sasuke gave his head a slight shake, "Uchiha. My name is Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke raised an elegant eyebrow as the boy's eyes widened slightly before he grinned.

"Ano…Naruto…"

Both Sasuke and Naruto jumped slightly as Sakura came up beside them, "Uhm…Hello?"

Sakura blushed as she held out her hand to Naruto. She batted her eyes at Naruto, "I'm Haruno Sakura."

_This bitch is flirting with him?! Wait…why should I care…it just means that she will finally leave me alone…but then why does it piss me off that he is looking and smiling at her and not me?_ Sasuke was drawn from his thoughts as Naruto grasped her hand and shook it slightly.

"So Naruto I can tell by your cloths that you are from Mizu no Kuni."

Naruto grinned as he rubbed the back of his head, "Yup Ba…Tsunade-sama asked me to come and oversee the Flame Tests. I just arrived this morning."

Sakura squealed causing both Naruto and Sasuke to jump back, "You're the Water Master that Shishou was talking about?! I totally thought that she was talking about some old guy! I never would have thought she was talking about someone so young and so cute! But how are you a Master already?! I mean not that I'm complaining or anything but I just think it's weird that someone as young as you would be asked to come to the Flame Tests."

"Sakura-chan?"

Sakura, who had taken to pacing the pier, stopped in her rambling to turn and smile at Naruto. Again Sasuke felt the urge to jump into his line of sight so that he was looking only at him. "Yes Naruto?"

"You sure do talk a lot and ask a lot of questions but you don't let people answer them." Naruto grinned slightly.

Sasuke bit his lip to stop himself from laughing at the indignant look on Sakura's face. "Excuse me?"

Naruto scratched at his cheek, "Well you asked me a few questions but you didn't stop talking. So how am I to answer you? First off if you Shishou is Tsunade-sama than yes I am the one that she was talking about. Second I'm not that young. I'm seventeen. As for me being cute," Naruto smiled at Sakura who in turned blushed, "Thank you."

"I'm leaving." Sasuke made to push past Naruto but the moment his shoulder brushed across the shorter teen's shoulder it felt like an electric shock entered his body. His breath quickened as he stumbled slightly. _What….what was that? _

"Are you okay?" Naruto reached out to help Sasuke and the minute Naruto's hand connected to his bare shoulder they both gasped. "What…"

Sasuke turned and looked at the flush that crossed the blonde's nose and cheeks. Sasuke licked his lips as he stared into the wide sapphire eyes of the blonde, "I don't know…"

Sakura huffed as she pushed herself in between the two teens, "Hey Naruto you have time before the testings don't you?"

Naruto gave his head a slight shake before he nodded, "Yeah I guess I do. Why?"

Sakura grasped both of the blonde's hands in her own as she leaned up to look into his eyes, "Do you want to teach me some Water Jutsu? I am mostly a healer but I have been thinking about taking the Water Master test. Shishou said that she would help me but you're younger and you're not busy right now so I was thinking…"

Naruto gently pulled his hands free of the clingy girl. "Actually Sakura-chan I think it would be better to include Sasuke."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly as he was once again the object of the blonde's attention, "Why would I want to train with Water Elementals? I'm a Fire Elemental."

Naruto grinned as he turned and walked towards the lake, "That is the perfect reason to Sasuke. Fire is weaker against Water. Everyone knows this. What better way to have some last minute training than going against a Water Elemental."

Sasuke grinned as he walked towards Naruto, "Two on one is fine by me."

Naruto gave Sasuke a sort of grimace, "Actually I thinking that it would be just you and me. Sakura-chan did say that he was a healer and if she can't hold her own in a battle it would put me at a disadvantage and then you wouldn't go all out because you wouldn't know how well she would be able to handle your flames."

Sasuke smirked as he leaned in closer. Naruto was about four inches shorter than he was and Sasuke found that he liked that a lot. It made it so the golden teen would have to look up at him. "Can you handle my flames?"

Naruto shivered slightly as a grin appeared on his face. "Can you handle me?"

Sakura stomped her foot as she crossed her arms, "What are you two talking about?! Are we doing this or not?!"

Sasuke looked one last time at the blonde before turning and walking off the pier. As he neared Sakura he grasped her upper arm and dragged her along. "Naruto and I will be the ones training. You aren't trained for combat. You'll just get in the way and then you could get hurt."

Sakura blushed, "Are you worried about me Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and they reached the grass, "Hn. Just go and wait at the top of the hill over there." Sakura nodded as she ran past Sasuke and up the hill. Sasuke grinned as he turned around. "Ready Naru—" Sasuke's eyes widened as he noticed that Naruto was not behind him but he was still standing at the end of the pier. "What are you doing still over there dobe?!"

Naruto's eyebrow rose as he glared at Sasuke, "Don't call me a dobe, teme! I'm waiting for you to get ready."

Sasuke crossed his arms as he rolled his eyes, "I am ready _dobe_."

"Good!"

Sasuke eyes widened as Naruto's arms shot out at his sides and he crouched down slightly. His sapphire eyes sparkled as he stared down Sasuke. Sasuke's eyebrows drew together. This would be his first training with a Water Elemental but he had gone on many mission were Water Elementals were his enemies and he had never seen them take that stance.

"Come on!" Sasuke readied himself into an offensive position.

"Yosh!"

Sasuke's eyes widened as the lake curled, pooled under where Naruto was standing. White caps appeared as the water sloshed rapidly in a whirlpool under the pier. The waves on the shores lapped and splashed as Naruto continued to stare down Sasuke. Sasuke, for his part, was in a state of awe. The boy hadn't even moved yet and yet the water was already starting to react to his pact.

"What are you Naruto…"

Naruto grinned as he raised his arms. Sasuke took a slight step back as the water shot up into the air. It coiled, furled around itself as it climbed higher and higher into the skies. A roar rent the air as the torrents of water morphed and twisted into the heads of serpents. Sasuke grinned as he felt goose bumps cover his flesh. He was excited. He wanted to test himself. He wanted to fight Naruto. He wanted Naruto to pay all his attention to him.

"Come on Sasuke!" Naruto shot himself at Sasuke. The serpents twisted as they coiled around each other as they followed their master.

"Let's do this Naruto!" Sasuke twisted his body, circling his arms, as blue flames danced to life around his body. With a smirk on his face Sasuke shot forth to meet Naruto head on.

/…/…/

Author's Note: Wow that was a long chapter. It just seemed to flow out. I don't know if all my chapters will be this long. It will all depend of the reviews I get. I always put in a lot more effort to make them long when I get lots of reviews. Again thank you everyone for taking the time to read and if you could take a few moments to leave a little note that would be greatly appreciated. Hugs all!! Tal ^_~


	3. Chapter Two: Who are you?

Author's Note: Thank you all again for reading and reviewing!! Just some quick hey's to some of my reviewers!!

**HikariToKageHeart**: OMG!! Huge hugs!! Thank you so much for such a wonderful and in depth review!! I was grinning like a fox as I read it!! Your guess is right. This story is going to be long and I hope I can live up to you thinking that the plot is going to be epic!! I work very hard on my battle scenes because I too have read stories where the battle scenes don't really flow and it can be frustrating as a reader. I hope I did the battle in this chapter justice. ~crosses fingers~ I LOVE AVATAR TOO!! I mostly loved the idea of Avatar and I wanted to create my own world with the idea of Avatar but with the Naruto characters ^_^

I am not someone to rush relationships. Your suggestion was already a part of my plot. There will be no jumping into bed quickly for Sasuke and Naruto. That doesn't do the plot or the characters justice in my books. They have an attraction to each other and I will let it grew from there. You're awesome and I thank you!! ^_^

**Thank you to my reviewers!! ****weng****, ****Lina Ben,** **HikariToKageHeart****, ****dragondancer711****, ****Jay-Jay51****, and ****Zandamh****!!!!!!**

**WARNING**: This story, like all my stories, is **YAOI!!!!!!** You have been warned!! If you don't like yaoi than LEAVE NOW! The pairing so far is SasuNaru and I don't know if I will have a side pairing or not. You, as my readers, can help decide on that one. Review if think there should be one otherwise there is more than likely not going to be a side pairing. There will be violence, sexual material, blood, gore, and more than likely torture. This is a semi dark fic. YOU. HAVE. BEEN. WARNED!

**Blanket Disclaimer:** Naruto is not mine!! Avatar is not mine!! I am just borrowing them because the voices in my head told me to!

_Italics_ – thoughts

/../../ - scene change

//\\//\\ - dream/flashback

**The Elementals**

**Chapter Two: Who are you?**

Jiraiya sat across from his oldest student. The Sannin still thought it was odd that he had been assigned the Earth Elemental in the first place. Jiraiya was after all a Fire Elemental and teaching someone about the Earth wasn't his specialty, actually it was far from it, but once he had met the young man he knew why. The silver haired boy was different. Unlike the other Earth Elementals he had met; this boy was lazy. He never did anything unless it was forced on him and he much rather sit and read.

"I didn't think I would see you again so soon Jiraiya-sensei." One dark brown eye crinkled as the man across from Jiraiya smiled behind his mask. "I saw you only yesterday and now you are wishing to see me again. You do realize that Hokage-sama has asked me to be at the Fire Tests in order to help judge the soon to be Flame Masters."

Jiraiya smiled as he took a sip of his steaming green tea. They were currently sitting at their usual tea stand and both were enjoying the stand's famous dango. "There is something that I would like to ask of you."

An eyebrow raised as his ex-student put aside his favorite book, one that Jiraiya himself had written, as he looked at his old sensei. "Really? This wouldn't happen to be the little lost Earth Elemental that you found now would it?"

Jiraiya's face blanched slightly as he looked over at his ex-student. _The man is too good at figuring out what I am up to. But how much does he know?_ "And if it does?"

The silver haired man smiled, placed his book in his side satchel, as he leaned closer to his sensei. "I would like to meet this…person that has you so wrapped up in trying to teach him that you have been asking me a million questions on Earth Elementals."

Jiraiya sighed, "Kakashi this is a very delicate matter. I can't believe that you have actually figured out as much as you have but I would prefer to talk about such matters in a more private location."

Kakashi's one visible eyebrow rose slightly, "You can't mean…" His eye widened as he gripped his tea cup a little tighter. Jiraiya's eye was drawn to the cup as the man's knuckles started to turn white, "How long…?"

Jiraiya smiled slightly at the softly uttered words. Everyone was searching for the Jinchuuriki. The Akatsuki had a pretty strong hold on some of the nations and Hi no Kuni was one of the last places in the world that was still safe for people running from the Akatsuki. All Kage were searching for the boy. All Elementals were searching for the boy. All the people were searching for the boy. All for the same reason. Peace.

"Since the beginning Kakashi." Kakashi's eye widened slightly before it narrowed and the man's tea cup shattered in his hand. Jiraiya frowned slightly as the tea flowed over the table and entered the plate of dango. He was going to eat those. "I know you're upset with me. I—"

"You have no idea how _upset_ I am!" Jiraiya was at least thankful that his ex-student was managing to keep his voice low as to not draw more attention to them. "This whole time! We needed this person! The nations needed to know that they were not dead!"

"Enough Kakashi!" Jiraiya closed his eyes and took a few calming breaths. Unlike Earth Elementals who did not need to worry about their emotions ruling their pact he, Jiraiya, had to worry about his anger ruling over his fire pact. "I told you I would talk to you in a more private area. I came here today to let you meet him and to ask you to train him. I need an Earth Elemental that I can not only trust but one I know is an excellent Elemental."

Jiraiya smiled softly as he saw Kakashi start to cool down. It was not every day that Jiraiya gave out compliments and he rarely told Kakashi what a good student he had been and what a fine man he had turned out to be. "Sensei I…"

Jiraiya laughed softly, "I'm no longer your sensei. But I wish for you to become the sensei of a very important person to me and to all of us."

Kakashi visibly swallowed as he nodded his head, "I would like to meet him first."

Jiraiya laughed richly, "Of course!" He raised his tea cup in a cheer before taking a slow sip. Kakashi would be good for Naruto. The man may be lazy but he would make a fine teacher. Naruto would most likely bring the best out in Kakashi and Kakashi would do the same for Naruto. After all a Wind Master learning Earth was going to be the toughest thing for Naruto. He would be working with his natural opposite and that was not going to be something that he could overcome in one night.

/…/…/

Water crashed. Fire sizzled. Two opposites met with rage and understanding. Two great forces wishing the other to notice, to recognize, to accept. Shimmering sapphire stared into deep clashing onyx as they danced around each other in prefect sync. A laugh tore itself from Naruto as he flipped over Sasuke and away from the thrust of the raven's fist that was aiming to burn him with a blazing blue flame.

It was different to Naruto. Fighting with Jiraiya always proved to Naruto that the man was never going to go all out on him. The Ero-Sannin had always thought that he would hurt Naruto if he managed to land a deadly flame endowed fist on the blonde Jinchuuriki. But with Sasuke it was different. It was exciting. It was challenging. The battle between them seemed to make all other things vanish. It was only the young Fire Elemental and him. Their battle royale a mere blur of crashing waves of rapid whips of water and the burning flames of encompassing bursts of fire.

Naruto grinned at Sasuke's smirking face as they leapt back from each other. Pools of water dotted the soft grass all around them. Chard blades of grass released tendrils of smoke into the early afternoon breezes. His heart raced as they circled each other. His eyes narrowed as he watched the raven raise his arms in two raised fists. Naruto hold one arm out in front of him awhile the other rest across his lower back.

Circling, bobbing, weaving they followed each other's movements. Sasuke smirked as he cocked his wrists and jets of blue flames shot and hovered out of his fists. Naruto's eyes widened slightly before they took in the teen before him. As much as he was enjoying the battle and no matter how much he knew that their battle was helping to train Sasuke he knew that the raven had just made his final mistake.

Sasuke coiled back on the heels of his feet as he whipped his arms back. Flames shot from his fists where the arced, danced, circled around him as he leapt into the air. The flames shot him higher than a human was able to leap on their own. He twisted around, churning the flames that danced in a hypnotic ribbon around him, as he shot towards Naruto.

"You are good Sasuke but you fail to notice the mysteries of the world." He spoke more to himself then to Sasuke but he couldn't help but noticed that Sasuke's eyes widened for the briefest of moments before they narrowed and his lips furled back in a cry of power.

Naruto clapped his hands together, causing the collected waters on the grassy null to ripple, with a last look at Sasuke he crouched down and smashed his hands into the pool he was standing in. He called to the water. Prayed to the water. Asked the water to grant him the strength that he would need to extinguish Sasuke's flames. The water…it answered.

Naruto's head shot up and stared into the wide eyes of Sasuke as the water whipped up and wrapped around Naruto. The cool waters coated, cocooned him as the first waves of Sasuke's flames washed over him. Steam rose, billowed as Sasuke continued on his trek towards the earth and towards Naruto. The water glistened as it continuously replenished itself as the heat of the flames evaporated more and more of Naruto's shield.

Sasuke growled out as he flipped his arms back. _Now!_ Naruto slid his legs out, pressed his hands firmly into the ground, and flipped his body up with his weight placed on his arms. The water singed, whistled as it shot towards his arms wrapping around him in a tight whirlpool of whipping blue and white. Naruto grunted as he spread his legs slightly and, using his hands, started to spin his body.

Sasuke brought his arms down, forcing flames to spray forth, as he neared Naruto. They both knew that this was the last attack that either of them had. They both knew that the force behind the two opposite elements was going to rock the area. But all that mattered to the two of them at that moment was that they were completely absorbed with each other. That they were not fighting for a nation, a village, or even a loved one. They were fighting for themselves and the idea of proving themselves to the one that judged the most. Themselves.

Water whipped, whirled, screamed up Naruto's form as his spun his body faster and faster. He could feel the heat of the flames as they licked at his jutsu but he had faith in the water. He had faith in the pact that he had made with the water. He would not turn back and he would never break his word. Naruto felt a warm, familiar pull around his navel as his eyes opened. Sapphire eyes glowed as the water screamed and jetted faster and harder from his body.

Sasuke twisted, flipped as he crashed towards the blonde. His raven hair whipped back as he released the last of his flame. He could feel his pact burning. He could feel the pull that it had to Naruto. He knew that they boy was special but he never thought that the pull would be this strong. The water whirling around the Water Master screamed as it grew in intensity. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as the water suddenly screamed and launched at him. Completely over riding his flames. With a smirk on his face Sasuke closed his eyes.

/…/…/

Jiraiya stumbled slightly as an exploration shook the earth. His eyes narrowed as one thought ran through his head. _Naruto!_ Without giving an explanation to Kakashi, who was shuttering words of wonderment, he took off in the direction of the exploration that he had felt. He knew that they had to be close because it wasn't like Naruto's usually show of power. It was as if at the last moment Naruto had called off the attack but the power was still behind the jutsu of the element and that was what the exploration was.

The high sun glittered across the calm surface of the lake as Jiraiya crested the hill. Billows of steam and shards of raining water covered a large area in front of him completely blocking the pier from view. Standing slightly to his left he could see Tsunade's apprentice. Her eyes were wide and her hands were covering her mouth.

"Sakura-chan what happened here?!"

Jiraiya was pulled from his observations as Kakashi jetted over to the pink haired girl. He gripped the girl's shoulder as said girl just stared at the billowing mass of steam. "Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi sighed, shook his head, before he nodded at the shocked girl, "Yes. What happened?"

Sakura slowly lowered her hands as Jiraiya neared the two Elementals. She looked between the two before looking back that the scene of the exploration. She took a deep breath before a small smile graced her face, "I've never seen Sasuke-kun fight like that before…"

Kakashi's head whipped suddenly to look down at the steam that was starting to thin, "Sasuke's in there?!"

Sakura nodded, "Yes. Sasuke-kun and I were talking when we met a strange boy, Naruto, who started to say that it would be a good idea to train some before the Fire Tests. Next thing I knew they are going all out on each other."

"Naruto?" Kakashi's one eye flicked to Jiraiya before looking back at the girl.

Sakura nodded, "The Water Master from Mizu no Kuni. He was asked to come by Shishou. He was amazing Kakashi-sensei! I've never seen anyone fight like that before. He barely moved but the water answered him!"

Jiraiya smiled, "Naruto no baka…"

/…/…/

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke felt completely relaxed though his body was tingling from short stabs of pain. He didn't want to move let alone open his eyes. He didn't want to answer the person calling out to him but he knew that he had to. The person wasn't going to go away until he did.

"Sasuke!"

"Quiet dobe, I'm fine."

A short deep laugh sounded before Sasuke felt himself being pulled in a sitting position, "Don't call me dobe, teme. Are you sure you're alright? You hit the ground pretty hard."

Onyx eyes opened and looked into concerned filled sapphire eyes of the Water Master. The blonde was so easy to read. The younger teen let all his emotions play out through his eyes. Sasuke smirked as he gently pulled himself from Naruto's arms. He blinked as he stared around. Everything was foggy almost blurry. He rubbed at his eyes but nothing changed. "What is going on?"

Naruto sat back on his heels and grinned, "I didn't think you would want Sakura-chan to see you knocked out. We created the steam when our attacks hit but I have been maintaining it. Hey!"

Sasuke jumped slightly at Naruto's outburst and nearly went crossed eyed when Naruto suddenly pointed his finger at the raven. "What?!"

Naruto's face was a mix of a pout and a glare. _How the hell can he look like that?!_ "You stopped! You stopped in the middle of the battle!"

Sasuke's eyebrow rose slightly as he stared at the mixed face teen, "I what?"

Naruto lowered his hand, which Sasuke was grateful for as he was trying not to focus on the finger nearly touching his nose, and crossed his arms. "You called off your attack. I felt it! Just when we were about to hit you stopped! You're _so_ lucky I called off my waves or I would have done more than knock you about!"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he shot to his feet. No one. No one talked that way to him. He didn't _stop_. He just didn't follow through with his attack and he still didn't know why he didn't complete the attack. _Why…? Why didn't I continue to fight Naruto? We were pretty evenly matched. Weren't we…?_

"I didn't _follow_ through with my attack because I knew it would have fried you to a crisp!" Sasuke crossed his arms as he glared away from the blonde. Sasuke could see that since Naruto was getting annoyed with him that the steam was slowly starting to dissipate.

Naruto growled as he jumped to his feet, more like floated from where Sasuke was standing. "I would have been fine. I was protecting myself. I was making sure that the water was covering me! I wanted to help you train! That's why I was doing that. But _you_ didn't _follow_ through!"

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. He turned so that he was facing Naruto and opened his mouth to yell at the boy when a searing, burning pain lanced his collar. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as a gasp escaped his lips. Before he could stop himself he moaned softly in pain as his hand shot to his shoulder. _Not now! Not today! I have my test today!_

"Sasuke?!" Naruto was in front of Sasuke before the raven had even taken another shaky breath. "What's wrong? Did I hurt you? Do you need Sakura-chan to heal you?!"

Sasuke gritted his teeth as he breathed through the pain. It was more of an inconvenience now. He had long since gotten used to the pain. "It's nothing…don't worry…"

Naruto gawked at Sasuke as he gently reached out and placed his hand on the raven's that was covering the source of the pain. "How can I not worry?"

Sasuke's eyes widened as he turned his head to look at the boy. This blonde haired blue eyed Water Master was complete and utter mystery to Sasuke. The boy gave off a presence so vast that he felt that he should hide from it and yet he was so drawn to Naruto that he couldn't seem to breathe. Not to mention that he had just met the golden teen and the concern that laced his sapphire eyes almost took his breath away.

"Who are you Naruto?"

Naruto's eyes widened slightly as the boy worried at his lip before he smiled softly, "A friend?"

Sasuke shook his head slightly as he reached out and softly removed Naruto's hand from his own. "Yeah…a friend."

The smiled that his quietly uttered words created caused the corners of Sasuke's lips to twinge upwards as well. Onyx stared in sapphire and sapphire into onyx. Silence stretched between them but no words were needed as they spoke with blinds, smirks, grins, and the soft exhales of breath.

"Naruto! Sasuke-kun!"

Both boys jumped and whirled around to the sounds of Sakura yelling their names. Sasuke's small smile fell to his frown as Sakura ran towards them. Following quickly behind them was Kakashi-sensei and a man that Sasuke had only seen a handful of times and for the life of him he could not remember the older man's name.

Sakura reached them, doubled over from the running, as she breathed out, "Are you two alright?"

"Naruto!"

Sasuke's answered died on his lips as he watched the long white haired man grab the blonde by the shoulders and pull him towards himself. Sasuke growled softly as the white haired man examined the boy all the while Naruto was muttering that he was fine and not to worry.

"Sasuke-kun you're holding your shoulder."

Sasuke jumped slightly, berating himself for not noticing his mission sensei, as his cool onyx eyes fell on the tall man. "It's nothing."

Kakashi's eyebrow rose in suspicion, "Sure it is Sasuke-kun. You'll need to have it looked at before the testings."

Sasuke made to open his mouth but was cut off as the white haired man came up beside Kakashi and smiled down that the raven. "So you're Uchiha Sasuke. I've hear a lot about you from Kakashi. I never would have thought that you would have battled it out with a Master mere hours before your testings."

Sasuke lowered his hand from his shoulder, wincing slightly at his own movement, as he bowed slightly to show the older man his respect. "I thought it would be good to get some last minute training in before the test. Naruto seemed to be willing to train."

"He always is gaki."

Sasuke straightened out and glared at the white haired man. Kakashi's face blanched slightly at the oblivious show of disrespect but the man just laughed as he turned back towards Naruto and Sakura. "Naruto I think it would be wise for you to go and find somewhere you would like to eat. Tsunade said that there is no food within the stadium."

Naruto grinned as he rubbed his stomach, "Yosh! I'm going to eat so much ramen!"

Sasuke's jaw fell slightly. _He wants to eat ramen? Willingly eat that salt infested garbage!_ "That…_food_ is not good for you dobe."

Naruto glared at Sasuke, "Stop calling me that teme! And ramen happens to be the greatest food in the world! I would eat it every day if I could!"

Sasuke shook his head, "Do you even know where there is ramen in Konoha?"

Naruto's face tinted pink slightly as he opened and closed his mouth, "No…" He reached up and scratched at his cheek slightly, "But I will find it."

"I have an idea." Sasuke's attention was drawn from the dobe as the white haired man spoke, "Why don't you Sasuke-kun take Naruto for ramen and then the two of you can head to the stadium together."

Sasuke tried, and failed, to ignore Sakura's outburst. Sasuke wanted nothing more than to concentrate on the fact that this man had stated that Sasuke and Naruto should go _together_ for food. "But Jiraiya-sama what about me?! I want to go to lunch with them too!"

The white haired man, Jiraiya, smiled softly as he patted her shoulder, "I'm sorry Sakura-chan but Tsunade wants the healers over at the stadium as soon as possible. The Hokage wants to make sure that the testings go off within a hitch."

Sakura pouted as Jiraiya and Kakashi steered her away. Her green eyes locked on his in a pleading look but Sasuke just smirked as he watched her leave. _Lunch. Lunch with just Naruto and I! Now to find out about the boy._ "Let's go dobe."

Naruto growled out as he glared at the raven, "Damn it teme stop calling me dobe! I will only go with you if you take to the place that has the best ramen in Konoha."

Sasuke shuddered slightly as he started walking away, "I'll take you there." _Where we will not be eating!_

/…/…/

Naruto sighed contently as he took a seat at the bar. He had smelt the ramen a few blocks back and had had to hold himself back from running away from the silent and brooding Uchiha. He loved ramen the moment Baa-chan had brought it home as a very quick lunch for the Jinchuuriki. She had been busy that day and hadn't had time to make the boy a proper meal. Even since he had been hooked on the stuff and did everything in his power to make sure that the house was filled with it.

They were currently sitting in a little ramen restaurant called Ichiruka. The waitress, Ayame, had smiled softly at the two teens and asked what they wanted. Naruto was almost drooling as he pulled the menu to him and started to ogle the contents.

"Just pick something so you can eat and we can leave."

Naruto glared at Sasuke from the corner of his vision, "You need to relax more teme. This is ramen. It is the best food in the world."

Sasuke crossed his arms as he stared at the wall in front of him, "Ramen is not food. It is unhealthy and it is not a food that an Elemental should be eating."

Naruto snorted slightly as he called Ayame over. "I'll have the miso ramen with no pork but with extra egg."

Ayame smiled softly, "No pork? But that is one of the best ingredients in the miso ramen."

Naruto smiled as he handed Ayame the menu, "I don't eat meat." Naruto could tell that Ayame wanted to question him on it but just shrugged as she walked off and started to make the ramen. Naruto leaned back and patted at his stomach. He had always wanted to try freshly made ramen. He had heard of ramen stands from Jiraiya.

"You don't eat meat but you'll eat this junk." Sasuke smirked as he shook his head, "You're a weird one dobe."

Naruto ground his teeth as he glared at the Uchiha but he bit his tongue to hold back his comment as he noticed that Sasuke's eyes were closed and he seemed to once again be in pain. "Sasuke are you going to tell me?"

Sasuke's one eye opened as he looked at Naruto, "Tell you what?"

Naruto sighed as he ran a hand through his unruly blonde tresses. "Your shoulder. Did I hurt you when I knocked you away?" _Please say no…I didn't mean to be so rough but I couldn't call the whole jutsu back. I was too wrapped up in the battle and I barely felt you stop your attack._

Sasuke sighed, closed his eye, as his hand went once more to his shoulder, "It was not caused by anything you did dobe."

Naruto's eyes narrowed, "It's Naruto. What happened that has caused you this kind of pain?"

Sasuke sighed again and Naruto had a feeling that the raven didn't do that very often, "It's nothing to concern yourself with Naruto."

_Well at least he said my name._ "I thought we were friends. Don't friends tell each other these sorts of things?" _Okay so I'm being a little bias as I don't have any intention of telling him that I am the Jinchuuriki._

Sasuke released his shoulder as he placed his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his hammocked hands. "It happened just before my second birthday. The Akatsuki attacked Konoha," Naruto flinched slightly at the mention of the Red Moon's name but remained silent. He had a feeling that if he did speak that Sasuke would stop talking, "The village was in an uproar. The Uchiha Chan was called in to protect the Hokage but I was little so I was left behind with my older brother, Itachi."

//\\//\\

_The sounds of fighting rang through the Uchiha compound as two little boys ran through the garden at the back of the main house. The little boy sniffed at the pain in his hand that was caused by his big brother pulling him along. He yelled out to try and find out why they had to run but he could feel something. Something was coming and it wasn't a good thing. _

"_Come on you little shits! Come out and play!"_

"_Aniki…"_

"_Just run otoutou."_

"_But…"_

_The little boy cried out as something wrapped around his leg. His hand was torn from his brother's as he was pulled towards the trees on the other side of the garden. He twisted and turned as the feeling of something wrong and evil washed over him. His large onyx eyes fell on the thing that was wrapped around his leg and he felt the air leave his lungs. It was a large snake. It was brown with diamond shaped skin and it was pulling him away from his brother and pulling himself towards the evil that he sensed._

"_Sasuke-kun…such a beautiful boy…"_

_The little boy cried out as the snake stopped but started to wrap around his small body. The large snake coiled around him and twisted his body into the air. Golden eyes. Golden eyes that would forever be burned into his memory flashed before his eyes. "Who…"_

"_That does not matter Sasuke-kun. One day I will come back for you. One day the pain will be so great that you will be praying for me to come and take it away. One day I will own you completely."_

_Tears sprang to the little boy's eyes as the strange and evil man grasped a fist full of his hair and yanked his head to the side. Pleas and cries torn from the little boy's mouth as the man ripped his shirt giving the golden eyes a perfect spot on the smooth alabaster skin._

"_Stop! Haha-ue! Chichi-ue! ANIKI!"_

_Pain. Total, utter pain. White dots danced in the little boy's vision as the man sunk his teeth into the pale young flesh of the little boy's left shoulder. A warm wetness ran down his chest and over his back. The world spun, swam as the pain grew. A lump formed in the boy's throat as something entered into his being. Something evil had taken root._

_He could hear people but not see them. He couldn't understand anything except the pain that lanced his body over and over again. It wouldn't stop. Even when the golden eyes released him and he fell to the grass covered ground it didn't leave. Even when the man laughed as he vanished into the trees it didn't leave._

"_Aniki…" The world tilted as the boy rolled and emptied his stomach on the grass beside him. His eyes failed him as the night took over. Darkness seeped into his small form as his onyx eyes closed. He knew that something had been placed inside him but he didn't know what and he didn't care just as long as the pain stopped._

//\\//\\

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair as he finished telling Naruto would he remembered of that day. "When I awoke I had a strange marking on my shoulder and the pain would come and go. I learned to deal with and learned that I, like all Uchiha's before me, was a Fire Elemental. I have been working all my life to find the son of a bitch that did this me and get my revenge on the one's that took the Hokage away."

Sasuke stared at his hands as he clenched them into fists. His knuckles turned white and he could feel his blunt finger nails digging into the flesh of his palms. He had been searching and training all his life to fulfill this one goal. Once he became a Flame Master he would be allowed to travel on solo missions and then he would find the golden eyed bastard that had attacked him when he was little.

Naruto's soft voice broke him from his menacing thoughts, "Have you tried to remove the mark? Have you let Healers look at it?"

Sasuke turned his head towards Naruto and sighed, "We had everyone look at it. Nothing stops it and the pains are getting more and more frequent. I have lived this long with this mark and I know I can live until my revenge is complete."

Naruto sighed and placed his chopsticks on the counter. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. He didn't even notice that the waitress had broughten the ramen out for the blonde to eat. "Sasuke one should never live for revenge only. Once your revenge is complete what do you plan to do?"

Sasuke opened his mouth as clear sapphire eyes pleaded at him to stop, to find a different path. But how does one walk away from a path that they chose so long ago. He would have his revenge and everything else would just fall into place. He would not bow down to this mark and he would never run from it. The golden eyed man was going to die by Sasuke's hand and his alone.

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke blinked as he realized once again that he was not alone and that he was in the presence of company. It was rude and disrespectful to ignore a guest. "Hn?"

"Would you…I mean if's it alright with you…would you let me look at your mark? I might be able to help you."

Sasuke sighed as he shook his head, "You may be a Water Master Naruto but I have had Master Healers come from all over the five great nations to look at it. If they all can't remove it I don't think that you can."

Naruto grinned as he rubbed the back of his head, "Well if everyone else looked it couldn't hurt if I looked as well, right?"

Sasuke shook his head as he climbed off the stool, "It's nothing to worry about Naruto. Just forget about it. However," Sasuke looked over at the blonde who was getting up after giving his money to the waitress, "What makes you think that you will be able to help me?"

Sasuke knew it was foolish to get his hopes up. He had done it so many times in the past and had that hope completely destroyed as the Healers all said the same thing. They didn't know what it was. They couldn't remove it. They didn't have any medication that would help with the pain. It was all the same and he was tired of always getting the same answer.

Naruto's soft laughter brought Sasuke out of his musings, "I'm not like the other's Sasuke. I'm in a class all my own." With a cheeky grin Naruto strode past Sasuke and lead the way to the bright day that was ahead of them.

/…/…/

Naruto smiled softly from his perch on the metal railing that surrounded the oval battleground that was nestled a good hundred feet below him. After lunch with Sasuke the two had decided to head to the stadium. Sasuke had stated that he wanted to prepare for his upcoming test and Naruto was interested in looking around the stadium.

The battleground below him was quite large and by the looks of the area it was to be most likely an obstacle course kind of test. Earth and Fire Elementals must have worked for days on setting up the layout and from Naruto's perch he could easily see that this was not going to be an easy test. _I wonder what the test will be like? Will I have to take this test as well or we Ero-Sannin test me himself like Baa-chan?_

The smile grew on Naruto's face as he swung his feet back and forth. He knew that he was suppose to be with the other Water Elementals and the Healers but it was such a beautiful afternoon and the sweet breeze washed over him letting him smell all the different scents of the village.

"You must be Naruto-kun?"

Naruto's face shifted to the new voice and grinned. _What are the odds that I would meet the two people that I wanted to meet in one day?!_ "That would be me. And you must be Itachi-san."

Itachi's eyes widened slightly before they narrowed slightly in suspicion. Naruto had to hold in his laugh as he sensed that Itachi was weary of him. Sapphire eyes twinkled with mischief as he stared into the older and wiser onyx eyes of Itachi.

"How do you know my name?" Itachi's hands, which were hanging limply at his side, twitched ever so slightly. If Naruto hadn't spent his life training he would have missed it entirely.

"Sasuke said that he had an older brother named Itachi. You and he look a _lot_ alike. I took a guess." Naruto turned his attention once more back to the battleground. He had heard people talking down there but they must have been further into the field because Naruto couldn't see them anymore. _Weird…they felt funny. _Naruto shrugged to himself. After all he had only ever been around two people his whole life so who was he to judge these people.

"You know Sasuke?"

Naruto nodded as he glanced at Itachi from the corner of his eye. Naruto's grinned turned into a smirk as he saw Itachi's hand relax as he walked towards Naruto. "Yup. I met him earlier this morning. We just got back from lunch."

One of Itachi's eyebrows rose as he reached Naruto and turned so that he too was facing the battleground. "I'm surprised, my little brother doesn't usually warm up to people. And for him to have lunch with someone," Itachi grunted, which Naruto figured was his way of laughing, "Is very out of character for him."

Naruto laughed as he threw his arms up and crossed them behind his head. He tittered slightly and laughed harder as Itachi actually flinched thinking that Naruto was going to pitch over the rail. "Well teme didn't eat! We went for ramen and he didn't eat a thing!"

"You knew you shouldn't be sitting on the railing like that." Itachi moved a little closer to the blonde in case the boy did lose his balance seeing as Naruto had shook his head at the comment about getting off the rail.

"I have no intention of falling Itachi-san. After all I'm going to watch as Sasuke becomes a Flame Master." Naruto smiled happily as he stared at the large entrance door at the far side of the battlegrounds where Naruto knew the Fire Elementals would be entering from. He was looking forward to seeing Sasuke come out of the doors and see his awesome display of Fire Jutsu.

However Naruto's happy smile dimmed as he turned to look at Itachi who had remained quiet at Naruto's little outburst. Didn't the guy think that his brother was going to become a Flame Master? Or he should have at least said something about his little brother even trying for the name of Master. "Uhm… Itachi-san?"

Itachi's eyes flicked to Naruto quickly before they once more flew to the battleground. Naruto's breath caught in his throat at the raw emotion in his eyes. For the fleeting seconds that their eyes were connected Naruto had seen it, he had felt it, and it filled him with a sense of sorrow. Itachi's eyes were filled with guilt.

"Sasuke will not become a Flame Master. Not this day or any in the future."

It took a moment for Itachi's words to filter through Naruto's sorrow filled mind and when they did the sorrow vanished like a puff of smoke and was instantly replaced with anger. "And why the hell not!"

Itachi turned to look fully at Naruto, with eyes still mirroring guilt though not as strongly, as the older Uchiha sighed. "It's my fault really."

Out of all the things that Naruto was thinking that the Uchiha would or could even say that was not one of them. "Huh?" _Smooth Naruto…_

"It's not my place to go into details. I, as the older brother, failed my brother at a young age. Because of my folly to protect him he will never be in full command of his pact." Itachi glared right through Naruto and the Jinchuuriki had a feeling that Itachi was staring down someone in a past memory that had surfaced.

"You know…" Naruto smiled softly as he pulled his legs up onto the metal railing and wrapped his arms around them. A soft sigh escaped him as he rested his chin in the valley between his knees, "I don't think that Sasuke blames you for that."

"What…how…"

Naruto glanced at Itachi before turning his attention back to the battleground and the great glowing sun that hovered a few hours above the horizons. "He told me. Well not the whole story. But the main thing is that from what he told me I don't think, no, I know he doesn't blame you."

Naruto jerked slightly as Itachi's weight against the railing shook him. Itachi was resting his folded arms and the rail beside him with his head cradled on his wrists. "No matter. I know what happened and I know that I can never go back and change the fact that I couldn't protect him. And now…" Itachi's eyes for a moment seemed to take on a red glow before turning back to the deep rich onyx as Itachi continued on his tale, "Whenever he tries to go all out it causes an episode of pain so strong that he can't move. If a Fire Elemental is bogged down at anytime in the battlegrounds they fail. But he can't do it…because of me…"

Naruto huffed out a laugh as he shook his head, "Both you and Sasuke are as stubborn as mules. He blames himself for not being able to get over the episodes of pain and you blame yourself because you couldn't stop it from happening in the first place."

Itachi growled softly at the boy, "Sasuke shouldn't have to get over it! I shouldn't have let it happen! I am his older brother and it was my job to—"

"Protect him. I know you said that." Naruto turned his head so that he could more directly into Itachi's eyes. "Itachi-san the past is in the past. There is nothing that any of us can do about it. We must learn to accept the fact that things happen that we have _no_ control over. Did you try to help your brother?"

"Yes but—" Naruto quickly slapped his hand over Itachi's mouth to stop him from talking. Naruto would have laughed at the look on the Uchiha's face if he wasn't trying to be serious.

"Then accept the fact that you tried. You got to Sasuke and you helped. But you never once considered what was going through Sasuke's head. Instead you thought about your failure as Aniki and decided that Sasuke was going to be held back because of this event. But you know what Itachi-san?"

Naruto removed his hand from Itachi's mouth as the older raven licked his lips and glared as a growl of an answer came out of his mouth, "What!"

"Sasuke didn't give up. Sure it causes him pain and he, himself, told me that he has tried everything to get it removed but he has _put the past in the past!_ He has _moved_ on. He is trying to live with what happened to him and not let it control who he wants to be. What have you done to help him Itachi-san?"

Itachi opened his mouth to reply but no words came to him. He looked at the blonde boy in front of him. There was something about the teen that had drawn the usually quiet and stoic raven over. He had heard from the Hokage that a teen Master by the name of Naruto was going to be coming to the Flame Master testings and that he would be on the stand-by incase a fire got out of control but he never thought that the boy would be burrowing into his soul and ripping it open with truths that he did not want to think about. "I…I.."

Naruto smiled softly as his sapphire eyes glistened in the pure rays of the sun, "Perhaps it is time to protect Sasuke now."

Itachi blinked as he licked his lips. Never before had someone so easily read him. Here he thought that he would be the one to enter the boy's thoughts as it was clear to Itachi that the blonde's eyes showed his emotions to easily but it was the other way around and it was completely throwing him off. "Protect Sasuke?"

Naruto nodded as he hooked his heels into the railing and stood up. Itachi watched as the boy stretched and balanced perfectly on the railing. Naruto smiled as he looked down at Itachi who was still confused and trying to figure out his thoughts. "It's time you became Aniki again. Sasuke has accepted his fate and is working towards a goal. I think that by becoming Aniki again you can get rid of your own demons Itachi-san and put the past behind you."

Itachi's eyes narrowed as he stared at Naruto. He was losing his cool and he knew it. He hated the fact that this boy, who had just arrived in Konoha, already knew one of the most kept secrets in Konoha. And the worst thing was that he had been told by the two people that it had happened to! His anger at the situation made him want to see if the boy knew what he was talking about. To see if Naruto the Water Master would be able to tell him what he was suppose to do and how he was to become 'Aniki' again. "Really? You know nothing! There is no way Sasuke will let me back in! I already told you I failed him as Aniki! I failed mys…"

Naruto smiled softly down at Itachi with complete understanding. He had failed too. He had allowed himself to be hidden away when the world needed him. Even now he was still failing them. He would find a way to make it back into the people's hearts and he knew that if Itachi followed in his example that Sasuke would allow him to become Aniki again. Itachi's speech stopped as they stared at each other. Naruto wanted to believe that Itachi understood him as he poured his understanding into a single look that bored into the eyes of Uchiha Itachi.

"I understand. Believe me. You would scare him away if suddenly you tried to become Aniki again. Sasuke wouldn't allow you to try to become his big brother again in any physical or mental way. At least not yet. But you can become Aniki spiritually. Let your presence support him. Don't be a negative force. Just being there when he needs you not saying a word or even touching him will let him know that you care and want to protect him."

Itachi stared in wonder at the boy. His face remained stoic and emotionless as ever but something snapped inside of Itachi just listening to his words. He did want to be a guiding force in Sasuke's life but he couldn't because every time he looked at Sasuke he saw the scared, marked and bleeding little boy that he had failed to protect. That was not the kind of presence that Sasuke needed. "Who are you Naruto-kun…"

Naruto's deep rich soft laughter rang through the afternoon winds. "You know Sasuke asked me the same thing and you know what," merriment danced in Naruto's azure eyes as he grinned down at Itachi, "I'll tell you the same thing. Who am I? A friend who's in a class all his own!"

Itachi's eyebrow rose slightly at Naruto's random answer but before he could even think of an answer Naruto threw his arms out to his sides and let gravity grab him as he fell backwards. Itachi lunged at the boy but his fingers only grasped air as the blonde boy fell towards the battleground. "Naruto-kun!"

Naruto smiled a fox like grin as he twisted around so that he was falling as if he had jumped and not fell backwards. Itachi's eyes widened as roped of crystal clear water raced from the ground towards Naruto. Naruto flicked his arms as the water reached him and wrapped up his legs. The water slowed his descend and as he reached the ground the water receded back towards…

Itachi huffed out as he watched the water snake its way back towards the large barrels of water that surrounded the outer perimeter of the stadium's battlegrounds. They barrels were placed there for the Water Elementals to use if the fires ever got out of control. But Naruto, being the strange boy he was, had used the water as a means of slowing his fall to the earth. A drop from that height would have killed a person but Naruto did it without even thinking and as a result he landed on instincts alone.

"A friend? Class of his own? I can see that." Itachi smirked at the waving Naruto as the boy ran off towards to the gates that lead to the Fire Elementals that were going to be tested. Without a further glance at the boy Itachi turned and walked off to find the other Flame Masters that would be judging the testings.

Naruto grinned to himself as he took off towards the doors. Itachi was a strange person but he was nice to talk to. He was most differently different than Sasuke but not in a bad way. He truly did care about his little brother and that was what mattered. Now though…Naruto's eyes narrowed. He was going to make Sasuke show him this mark that caused him pain.

The minute that Itachi had mentioned that Sasuke was in pain because of it _and_ the fact that it interrupted Sasuke's fire pact sent his mind racing. The Jinchuuriki spirit within him didn't like the sounds of the mark and Naruto had a feeling that the mark was probably something of the Dark Arts. Something that was unearthly. Something that forced the elements to do what they normally wouldn't do.

Naruto eye's glowed a soft but deep sapphire as the door got closer. The elements were meant to be respected and Sasuke was trying to do that by working hard and creating a pact with the flame within him. But this mark was interrupting that and causing him pain. Naruto would not stand for that. He would find out what it was and he _will_ help his friend overcome it!

/…/../

Author's note: Holy Hanna!! I can't believe how long this chapter is. I have been writing it for like three days and I just couldn't seem to find the right place to stop!! Again thank you everyone for reading, reviewing and alerting!! Lots of Love and Hugs!!! Review!! Please review!! I make long chapters when you do!!! Hugs!!! Tal ^_^

FYI I know that Naruto isn't really a vegetarian but for my story he is. Remember that this story is inspired by Avatar and the Air Monks were vegetarian. Though Naruto still eats diary. Just to let you all know because at the ramen scene I'm better some of you were like WTF?!?!

Thank you all again for reading!! Reviews make me happy and let me know that you like my work ^_^


	4. Chapter Three: The Return of the Wind

Author's Note: Thank you all once again for reading, reviewing, and alerting my fic!!! It truly means a lot to me that so many people are enjoying it! Plus I was really worried that not a lot of people would be for a Naruto/Avatar fic. But my wonderful reviewers are proving me wrong and I love you all for it!

**Thank you to my reviewers!!! ****dragonfire04****, ****Jay-Jay51**, **HikariToKageHeart****, ****Zandamh****, ****elany****, ****roseearered****, ****FumetsuKaji****!!!!! Thank you all!!**

**WARNING**: This story, like all my stories, is **YAOI!!!!!!** You have been warned!! If you don't like yaoi than LEAVE NOW! The pairing so far is SasuNaru and I don't know if I will have a side pairing or not. You, as my readers, can help decide on that one. Review if think there should be one otherwise there is more than likely not going to be a side pairing. There will be violence, sexual material, blood, gore, and more than likely torture. This is a semi dark fic. YOU. HAVE. BEEN. WARNED!

**Blanket Disclaimer:** Naruto is not mine!! Avatar is not mine!! I am just borrowing them because the voices in my head told me to!

_Italics_ – thoughts

/../../ - scene change

//\\//\\ - dream/flashback

**The Elementals**

**Chapter Three: The Return of the Wind**

Naruto slowed his run as he reached the large doors. _Okay now Naruto you just need to get Sasuke to show you the mark. If he doesn't…_ Naruto grimaced slightly. There was really nothing he could do if Sasuke said no again. He didn't want to force the teen to show him but it was slowly becoming his only option. Whatever it was that was done to the raven was interrupting his flame within. That meant that something was placed inside of Sasuke. The only things that Naruto knew that could do that were a sealing, which Naruto knew would have vanished over the past fifteen years, or a something darker.

Naruto took a deep breath as he placed his hand on the door. _What was that…?_ Naruto removed his hand and glanced around the battleground. He could have sworn he heard something. It was like a hum or a murmur. _It didn't sound like words…but why…_ Naruto shrugged to himself as he once again placed his hand on the door. "What!" Naruto growled as he pulled his hand back. But, unlike the last time, the hum stayed playing in his head.

Slowly the golden Wind Master turned around and narrowed his eyes as he stared around the battleground. The hum was consent and it was gradually getting louder. Naruto winced as the pitch of the hum bounced around hitting different octaves inside his head. _What is making that sound?! It's giving me a headache!_ Naruto winced again as he turned back to the door. There was nothing near him. He couldn't sense a single person but the hum was still there. _I'll just have to deal with it later. Right now I need to help Sasuke. If he gets bogged down within the course he will fail his test. _

Naruto placed his hands on the door, ignoring to the best of his abilities the now pounding in his head, as he pushed the doors open. A deep cool breeze blow past him as the air seal on the door was broken. The hall before him was narrow but with the highest ceiling that Naruto had ever seen. Naruto stepped forward and his eyes shot open as he hand flew to his mouth. His stomach was churning as the hum hit an even higher pitch.

He stumbled into the hall and groped at the walls. There was something going on and he had a feeling that it had something to do with him. Naruto placed his hand over his stomach and was surprised to feel heat emanating from his clothes. _My pact seal…it feels like it's on fire! What is wrong with me!? _Naruto breathed deeply through his nose as he straightened himself out and pushed away from the wall. He couldn't worry about his own body's problems right now. He wasn't the one about to take a test for the title of Master. Sasuke was and he was the one that needed the attention.

Deep, soothing inhales through his nose helped to well the churning in his stomach and by focusing on the light at the end of the hallway helped to keep the hum in his head at a bare minimum. It still felt weird and he didn't know what it was but at least he could put it aside and continue on. "You have no choice now Sasuke. If I have to deal with…well whatever this is…you _are_ going to show me that mark!"

Naruto pushed off and hurried down the hall. Well he hurried as fast as the pounding and churning allowed which wasn't more than a quicken shuffle. His pace was even and stable as he continued towards the light. He didn't know where Sasuke was and with the hum in his head it was making it hard for the teen to track other pacts that would tell him where the people were.

Naruto yelled out as someone grabbed the back of his collar. The world spun as he was turned around and came face to face with deep, albeit annoyed, mocha eyes. The thin line of her lips told Naruto that he was in trouble but he couldn't seem to bring himself to worry about that as he was too worried that he was going to throw up on his guardian.

"What the hell do you think you are doing here gaki?!"

"Baa-chan…" Naruto's eyes closed as he clung to her. The world was seriously spinning and the hum broke through his barrier as he was no longer focused on the light.

"Naruto?! What's wrong?!" Tsunade pulled the boy to her as Naruto willed his body to come back under his control.

"I don't know…I need…" His hand flew to his mouth as he quickly pushed the Hokage out of the way. He stumbled over to the far wall and emptied the contents of his stomach. Great heaves and gasps escaped him as he continued to be sick against the hallways wall.

A cool hand pressed against his forehead while another gently rubbed his lower back. "Naruto?"

Naruto grimaced at the concern in her voice but didn't have the energy to reply just yet. He tried to breath, to calm his stomach, to make sure that he didn't throw up again. _What is wrong with me?! I was fine before I entered this area…could that be the reason?_ "Baa-chan…"

Tsunade wrapped her arm around his waist and used her hip to balance the both of them as she leaned closer to his head. "What's wrong Naruto? I've never seen you throw up before."

Naruto grinned, "I don't know…my head and my…" Sapphire eyes widened as the churning in his stomach overwhelmed him and he once again throw up; but with nothing else in his stomach to purge the acid was the only thing left. _Fuck that burns! What the hell!_

"I'm taking you out of here!" Tsunade gripped her charge and started to lead him towards the entrance of the hallway.

"Wait…" Naruto half heartedly tried to free himself from the stronger woman but his body was tired and he was covered in a cold sweat. _I've read about this before…am I sick?_ "Sasuke…need to see…"

"You can see the Uchiha later. Right now I need to get you out of the hallway and have a good look at you in the light. I've…" Tsunade cleared her throat and licked her lips but when she failed to continued Naruto knew. Baa-chan had never seen him sick either. The Jinchuuriki was known for always be healthy and there was never a recorded record of one ever becoming ill.

"I know Baa-chan…but still…"

"No."

Naruto glared with the little strength he had in the direction of Tsunade but his head barely moved as his eyes didn't even narrow. He was just so tired and his stomach was still on fire. "Fine…"

/…/…/

Sasuke knelt in the center of a ring of white candles. His eyes were closed, his arms were crossed lying in his lap, and his breathing was calm, cool, collected. The flames of the candles rose and fell with each breath that the Uchiha took. He needed to center himself. He needed to control himself. He needed to make the pain lacing from his shoulder stop before the testings.

He was not going to fail this time. He was not going to have to face his father again after a failure. He was going to become a Master and he was going to find the one that caused him this pain and when he found him… The flames of the candles sparked as his thoughts turned to the pain that he would return to the golden eyed man. The man with the snake. The man that didn't deserve to live.

"You keep up those kinds of thoughts Uchiha you're going to burn down the room."

Onyx eyes snapped open. He knew that voice and it was one that he didn't want to have to listen to. "Hyuuga."

Hyuuga Neji walked into Sasuke's private parlor and leaned against the desk that was directly in his line of sight. The tall Hyuuga was wearing his usual emotionless face but, unlike the Uchiha, the Hyuuga in front of him let some of his emotions be seen through his pale pupiless lavender eyes. "Getting this riled up before the tests is never a good idea Uchiha. You'll fail _again_ that way."

Sasuke smirked as he rose to his feet. "As I recall your record of _failure_ is far worse than mine." _Now let's see who loses their cool._ Sasuke's smirk turned into a grin as the Hyuuga glared at him and crossed his arms. From the many years of missions and training Sasuke knew that this was a sign that Hyuuga was getting pissed. _I wonder how far I can push him._ "Looking to make this your fifth straight fail Hyuuga?"

Neji pushed away from the desk and headed to the door of the parlor. "I will not stand here and listen to you any longer."

Sasuke's eyebrow rose. _Then why did he come here in the first place?_ "What did you want Hyuuga? You never come and seek me out when it is for nothing."

Neji stopped at the door and, without turning, spoke into the dim room, "That blonde boy. The Water Master from Mizu no Kuni."

Instantly Naruto's sapphire eyes flashed into his mind. "Naruto? What about him?"

Hyuuga's head turned to look at Sasuke over his shoulder, "Naruto?" Neji smiled as his pale eyes glistened, "He's quite the beautiful boy wouldn't you say Uchiha. It seems that you already know him."

Sasuke gritted his teeth as he clenched his fists. He knew that the Hyuuga was trying to push his buttons. He had probably seen the two of them walking through the village. But the main question was why Sasuke was so affected by Hyuuga's words. "What about him?"

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched as Hyuuga licked his lips, "I just wanted to see if the boy was anything to you. After all I have full intentions of taking him under my wing. I heard he will be staying in Konoha from now on and he will need someone to show him around."

Before Sasuke even knew what he was doing he had Hyuuga by the collar, "Stay away from him."

Hyuuga smirked as he removed Sasuke's hand from his Flame tunic. Pale lavender stared into deep onyx as the two teens glared into one another's souls. Hyuuga brushed his long hair over his shoulder as he turned around and reached for the door handle. Sasuke breathed deeply to calm his nerves as Neji opened the door and walked out.

"He's not yours Uchiha." With that the door closed and the flames of the candles blasted to almost the ceiling in the wake of Sasuke's growl.

/…/…/

Naruto bend over himself and placed his hands on his knees. They were once again standing out in the open of the battleground. The humming had dulled and the churning in his stomach was slowly going away though it was still there.

"Care to tell me what that was?"

Naruto glanced over his shoulder at Baa-chan. Her voice had been stern but her body language was stating that was indeed concerned. "I don't really know. I entered the hall there to go and find Sasuke and suddenly my head and stomach started to hurt. I've never felt that before."

Tsunade crossed her arms and sighed, "What were you doing before it hit? Did you eat something funny? Did you stay to long out in the sun?"

Naruto straightened himself out and smiled weakly at Tsunade, "No and no. I ate ramen at lunch and the sun has never bothered me before. I think…" Naruto placed his hand over his navel, "Baa-chan what is the stadium to Konoha?"

Tsunade's eyebrow rose slightly, "What do you mean?"

Naruto sighed as he closed his eyes. The humming was starting to get really annoying. "Is there a reason why this stadium is used for the Flame Master tests?"

Tsunade huffed out a laugh that caused Naruto to open his eyes, "This place is the center of the Fire Element that rules over Konoha. The first settlers that created Konoha chose this place because all the Fire of the land centers in this exact spot. Hundreds of feet below of us is the purest form of Fire in the whole world."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly as he glanced to the ground. "Magma."

Tsunade nodded, "Yes. The first Hokage of Konoha felt the call of the Magma and decided to build Konoha over it. When they found out that this spot that we are standing on is the pool of magma they built the stadium over it so that all future generations of Flame Masters would be tested where the call of their pacts were the strongest."

Naruto nodded as he looked once more at his guardian, "I think that is what is causing whatever it is that is bothering me. I've never been here before and I do feel the pull of the Fire Element strongest here. It was just a lot to take at one time. But I'm fine now." _If I ignore the humming in my head and the fact that my pact seal is still burning like __**it**__is fire._

Tsunade's eyebrows drew together but before she could say another word a shrill voice rang through the battlegrounds. "Naruto!"

Naruto and Tsunade turned towards the source of the yell. Running towards them was none other than Sakura-chan. Her pink hair flipped in the breeze that was created by her running towards them. She had a smile on her face as she came to stop just before Naruto.

"Sakura-chan? What are you doing here?"

Sakura-chan looked up at Naruto with a quizzical look on her face, "What are you talking about? I have always been here. It is getting close to the starting ceremonies. I have been looking everywhere for you. You need to be told where you're going to be standing and who you are flagged to."

Naruto's golden eyebrow rose, "Flagged to?"

Tsunade stepped forward slightly, "Flagging is when you are assigned a certain participate in the testings that you follow throughout the test. You're there to make sure that none of their or the fires around them get out of control. We are short on Water Masters so it will most likely be two people that you are flagged to."

Sakura-chan straightened at hearing the voice of her Shishou. "Shi-Shishou! I didn't see you there. Good afternoon!" Sakura-chan bowed deeply.

"I shouldn't be here." Naruto watched as Tsunade turned towards the setting sun with a frown on her face, "The sun will be setting in little over an hour. I'm betting the villagers are already on their way here."

Naruto's eyes widened. He was going to be seeing more of the villagers! _I wonder how they will dress! I wonder if they will be carrying banners of their families! Wait…sun set?!_ "Uhm…Ba-Tsunade-sama why do you have the testings at night? I thought that Fire Elementals were stronger when they could draw their strength from the sun?"

Tsunade grinned at Naruto, "That's why we have it at night. This way the participates have no choice by to reply on their pacts and the resolve that they made with their inner flame. That is why when you had your Water Master test it was at high noon. Water Elementals are stronger when the moon is out."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Wow that is so cool! I can't wait to see what they got!"

Sakura-chan gasped Naruto's elbow, causing the blonde to jump slightly as he had forgotten she was there, as the pink haired girl started to pull Naruto away, "You'll be able to see that and more once you are assigned and you know what to do during the opening ceremonies. Bye Shishou!"

Naruto glanced over his shoulder, grinned and waved at his Baa-chan as she shook her head and walked away in the opposite direction. The strange humming was still going over and over in his head but the thought of seeing what these young Fire Elementals had in them was helping to dull the pain.

/…/…/

"Okay Naruto you'll need to really pay attention because I only have time to go over this once." Sakura-chan's voice was distant to the humming that had returned to Naruto's head. No matter what he thought about now the sound was always there. It was like something inside of him was trying to tell him something and since he couldn't figure it out it was causing him to have a wicked headache.

"Yosh! I'm all ears Sakura-chan!" _If that was only true._

Sakura-chan smiled as she walked towards five pillars that stood erect at what Naruto guessed was the beginning of the testing course. They all looked the same except for the tops. Each one was adored with a large crystal of a different colour. Near the base of each pillar was a large circular hole. The pillars stood about fifteen feet apart and wrapped around the ground surrounding each pillar were sealing markings.

Behind the pillars were two large wooden doors with the seal of Konoha stamped on them. The large spiral leaf caused a smile to appear on Naruto's face. Baa-chan said that all Masters of Konoha wore them symbol somewhere on their person. Most of them wore them on a metal band stamped onto a strip of fabric. Baa-chan said that it didn't matter what Elemental Master you were you could become a warrior of Konoha and then you could earn the seal of the village.

"The doors behind the Elemental Statues is where the participates of the testings will enter. They will knee before the Flame Pillar," Sakura-chan pointed to the center pillar with its large ruby colored crystal. Once they have entered then the judges will enter from that door."

Naruto followed Sakura-chan's out stretched hand and noticed that to his left was another door but this one was not stamped with the seal of Konoha. This door was stamped with the five seals of the elements. Naruto's eye lingered on the spiral that represented the Wind Nomads. A pain welled in his chest at the thought that there would be no Wind Nomads present at this testing. The pain in his chest changed quickly to the hum growing stronger causing his vision to blur slightly.

"Naruto? You okay? You look kind of pale."

Naruto blinked quickly and smiled brightly at Sakura-chan though the smile was more to keep himself from throwing up again. "Yeah I'm fine…I think I'm a little nervous."

Sakura-chan smiled and nodded, "I was nervous my first time too. Don't worry. You'll be fine. Okay so once the judges enter we, the Water Elementals, follow them. We walk out and take our places. Mostly everyone will be around the perimeter but the healers and Water Masters, like yourself, will go and stand behind the Fire Elementals. Once we are in place than the last door will open."

Naruto looked the other way and saw that the last door was once again stamped with a seal but upon seeing this seal Naruto felt like all the blood in his body had suddenly turned to ice. The burning over his seal returned tenfold and the humming blocked out all other sound. There. There stamped on the door was the seal of the Hokage and the seal of the Jinchuuriki. The two seals were interwoven upon the wood of the door.

_I..I can't do this. I know what it is that is causing this. _Naruto felt tears running down his cheeks as Sakura-chan spoke softly in front of him but with her back away from him as she looked at the door. "Shishou will enter through those doors with the Flame Masters of last year's tests. In the olden days the Hokage was accompanied by the Jinchuuriki. Well that is if the Hokage wasn't the Jinchuuriki. "

Sakura-chan sighed as she continued to talk, "Once the Hokage makes the starting speech one Master of each Element will come forth and light the pillars. They will call forth their element to enter the hole at the base of the pillar and the element will ignite the crystal at the top. Once all the pillars are lit… well all but the wind pillar…the Flame Masters with perform the Flame— Naruto?! Naruto you okay!"

Naruto jumped slightly as Sakura-chan ran to him and placed her hand on his cheek. He had been staring at the door that the Hokage would enter through during her whole speech. He knew that he was crying and he knew why but he couldn't tell the girl before him. He couldn't tell anyone…Naruto gasped and grasped his head while he backed away from Sakura-chan. The humming wasn't going to stop. The burning wasn't going to stop. _I know what I have to do…_

"Please Naruto tell me what's wrong! I can help you. I'm a healer!" Sakura-chan took another step towards Naruto but the blonde backed up.

"Sakura-chan where would I find Tsunade-sama?" Naruto glanced at the girl before looking around the area as he tried to lock onto Baa-chan's pact seal.

"She'll be in the High Tower." Sakura-chan turned and pointed towards the large covered top box that rested over the door that the Fire Elementals would enter through. "She'll be getting all the Masters and judges ready to enter the battleground."

Naruto nodded as he ran towards the doors. "Thanks Sakura-chan!"

"Wait! You can't go in there! I still need to tell you who you are flagging! Naruto!"

Naruto bit his lip. He really hoped that Sakura-chan wasn't going to get into trouble for him leaving like this. But he couldn't wait any longer. He was running away from Sakura-chan but he wasn't going to run away from himself anymore. He knew that he had promised Baa-chan and Ero-Sannin that he would keep who is was a secret but if he was right about what was causing him pain than he didn't have a chose. And by all accounts he didn't like the idea of hiding who he was. It was time that the world had some hope and it was time that the world remembered that there were still Wind Nomads. Even if it was only one.

/…/…/

Sasuke leaned against the cool stone of the hallway. They were a mere half an hour away from entering into the battlegrounds. Standing across the hall from him was none other than Hyuuga Neji but the Hyuuga wasn't looking at him nor was he saying anything. This close to the tests was always the hardest. The Hokage always made the participates wait in the hall to see if their nerves would be able to hold out until the testing actually began.

Leaning against the wall a little ways away from him was Inuzuka Kiba and his animal guild Akamaru. Out of all Fire Elementals Kiba was the youngest to find his animal guild. Of course Sasuke didn't think this was anything special was the Inuzuka was a clan of dog handlers and each of the Inuzuka were knew to have their animal guild since birth. The one thing that Sasuke didn't like about it was the fact that the large white dog was allowed to enter the testings with Kiba and the two of them could take part as a two man team.

Standing on the other side of the hall and pretty far away from everyone was Aburame Shino. To say that Sasuke didn't like this teen would have been an understatement. Aburame was weird. There was no better word for it. Shino command the Fire Bugs of Konoha. They lived _in_ his skin. No matter which way Sasuke looked at it that was not hygienic.

Sasuke jumped slightly as the doors leading to the battlegrounds were suddenly slammed open. Sasuke blinked the sudden light out of his eyes as someone came running down the hall. The sounds of the footfalls sounded strange to Sasuke. It was almost as if this person wasn't running on the cool, hard stone but he was running on something far softer. The footfalls were almost non-existent. The light streaming in through the doors illuminated the runner for the barest of moments before the doors slammed shut.

"Naruto?!"

Sasuke pushed away from the wall as the blonde ran towards them. Sasuke's eyebrows narrowed as the boy drew closer. Shimmering tracks ran down the boy's cheeks and it didn't seem like he had heard Sasuke. His point was proven when Naruto didn't seem to be slowing as he drew closer. Sasuke growled out as he jumped into Naruto's path.

"Oi! Dobe!" Sasuke smirked as Naruto's blue eyes widened and Naruto skidded to a halt.

"Don't call me that teme!" Naruto suddenly blinked as he looked around the hall. "Uhm…"

Sasuke shook his head as he walked towards the blonde boy. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that Hyuuga had pushed away from the wall and was walking towards the blonde teen as well. _Fucking Hyuuga needs to back the fuck off!_ "Dobe what's wrong? Are you crying?"

"Huh?" Naruto stopped looking around and turned slightly glazed eyes on Sasuke. "Sasuke? Oh! Which way to Tsunade-sama?!"

Sasuke's eyebrow rose, "Why do you need the Hokage? I thought you were going to be a Water Master in the testings? You won't need her from that."

"You must be Naruto-kun."

Naruto jumped slightly as Hyuuga held out his hand to the Water Elemental as he started into Naruto's sapphire eyes with his pale lavender. "Uhm…Yes, I'm Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto took the hand that was offered to him and let out a yelp as the Hyuuga pulled Naruto to him.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've been hearing about you all day."

Naruto laughed nervously as he tried to pull his hand back. "I'm afraid I've not heard about you. And who would you be?"

Sasuke growled as he walked the short distance between them and pulled Naruto away from Neji as the Uchiha glared at him. "You don't need to man handle him Hyuuga."

Hyuuga ignored Sasuke, which pissed the raven off even more, as the pupiless teen turned his attention once more to Naruto. "My name is Hyuuga Neji."

Naruto smiled softly as he pulled himself free of Sasuke. "I don't mean to be rude but I really need to see Tsunade-sama. Which direction would she be in?"

Sasuke rubbed at his temple. "Why do you need to see her?"

Naruto growled out as he glared at Sasuke. For the barest of moments Sasuke was taken aback by the look but quickly recovered. "I don't need to explain myself to you teme. Just tell me wh—AH!" Naruto grabbed at his head as his body pitched forward. Sasuke didn't even think. His body reacted far quicker than his brain could ever take in the situation. He jumped forward and wrapped his arms around the boy.

Sasuke glared at Hyuuga, who had also jumped towards Naruto when the boy had grasped his head, before turned back to the shaking boy in his arms. "Naruto?"

"Please…please Sasuke tell me where she is."

Sasuke sighed as he pulled Naruto closer. He inhaled deeply and was overcome with the freshest scent in had ever smelt before. He couldn't place it. It was like the smell of the earth after a rainstorm. Or the sweet first breezes of spring through the pines in the Uchiha forest. Whatever it was was coming off of Naruto in waves. Sasuke buried his nose slightly in the soft golden tresses just above Naruto's ear. "You're not going to tell me why are you?"

Naruto shook his head slightly, "I will but not right now. I need…I need to talk to Tsunade-sama first."

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he pushed the Water Master back. Naruto's normal tan, bronzed skin was pale and fresh tears had started to roll down his marked cheeks. "She is straight down the hall. Make the first right you come to and she is at the top of the stairs."

Naruto nodded as a small smile graced his face. Sasuke felt his face warm as Naruto gently placed his hand on Sasuke's cheek. _What..what is he doing…right Sasuke like that's any better than you smelling him!_ "Thank you Sasuke. When this is all over I want to tell you _everything_ first."

Sasuke's eyebrows knitted together slightly, "Everything?"

Naruto nodded as his eyes fluttered closed. Sasuke couldn't help but gasp as he felt a wind run between them. Onyx eyes widened as Naruto took off down the hall. _It can't be…the wind was from the door!_ Sasuke's head whipped around to look in the direction of the door but all he saw was the blackened backside of two firmly closed wooden doors.

/…/…/

Naruto took a calming breath as he stood outside the door that led to Baa-chan. Sasuke's direction were perfect. He had cleared the stairs and the seal of the Hokage was stamped on the large door in front of him. _Okay…I'm going to tell Baa-chan that I'm going to enter the stadium as the Jinchuuriki or not at all. I will not run anymore. I will not hide anymore. She will just have to understand this._ The moment those thoughts ran through his head the humming stopped and the burning on his stomach ceased. Naruto exhaled deeply as a smile graced his face. _I was right_.

Naruto raised his hand and knocked on the door. Silence greeted him as he heard the scraping of wood on stone. The handle to the door turned and the door opened to an annoyed looking Hokage. Naruto smiled sheepishly up at Tsunade. "Hi Baa-chan."

Tsunade's expression changed from annoyed to confused in under a second. "Gaki? What are you doing here? You should be down in the stadium."

Naruto steeled his resolve as he looked deep into the mocha eyes of the woman that raised him, "Tsunade-sama we need to talk."

The Hokage's eyebrow rose before she nodded slightly and backed away from the door and allowed the blonde to enter the room. They both stayed quiet as they walked into the room. Tsunade walked around the large desk and sat back in her seat. Naruto came to rest at the front of the paper filled desk. "Well?"

Naruto took a calming breath. He had a feeling that this was going to be harder than he thought, "I'm going to tell everyone." _Might as well get to the point._

Tsunade's eyes narrowed, "You're going to what?!"

Naruto matched Tsunade's glare, "I'm not going to hide anymore. I can't and I won't. The people have a right to know that I am alive. Being here has shown me that."

Tsunade sighed as she rubbed at her temple, "I thought we already talked about this last night. It is not wise for you to go around telling people that you're the Jinchuuriki. If the Akatsuki found out they will come after you."

Naruto nodded in understanding, "They'll come for me anyways Baa-chan. This way it will be on my terms and not on theirs. They won't be able to take me by surprise. I will know that they will be coming."

"That doesn't make it okay gaki!" Tsunade's fist connected with the wooden desk and Naruto cringed at the creak of the wood.

"You say that the Akatsuki will be coming for me but what about the others?" Naruto took a tentative step forward. He had been thinking about what he wanted to say all the way up the stairs.

A honey eyebrow rose slightly, "The others?"

Naruto nodded, "You and Ero-Sannin always told me that the other four great nations trained their Elementals to protect the Jinchuuriki. When word spreads that I am alive and in Konoha they will come. I know they will. This may be our chance to finally stop the Akatsuki."

Tsunade's eyes widened slightly, "What and use you as bait?! Are you insane! Sure the others will more than likely come but that still puts your life in danger. Can't you wait until you have at least mastered the other three elements?"

Naruto sighed. He could hear the pleading tone in her voice but he knew that he couldn't. The pains would only get stronger the more he hid himself away. The Fire of Konoha already knew he was here and it was calling to him. What would happen to him and the others of the village if he continued to ignore it? Would the magma react to him? No, he would not let that happen.

"I'm sorry Baa-chan but I can't wait. You remember me telling you about the churning of my stomach and the humming in my head?" Naruto watched as Tsunade nodded before he continued, "They were caused by the Jinchuuriki spirit within me. I know that now because before I knocked on your door I made my resolve that I would not enter the stadium below unless I did so as the Jinchuuriki and once I thought that the pain left."

Tsunade sighed as she rose from her chair and walked across the room to a tall cabinet. She opened one of the drawers but Naruto was unable to see what she was doing as she had her back to him and her frame was blocking the drawer from view.

"After you went to sleep last night Jiraiya and I talked. We had a feeling that since the spirit of the Jinchuuriki had awakened that it would not be quiet until you came forth as who you were meant to be. I bet that it would take a week before you came and told everyone."

Naruto smiled softly, "Baa-chan you never were good at betting."

Tsunade's soft laughter echoed in the quiet room, "Jiraiya bet that we would be announcing you to the people of Konoha at this very test. So he told me to bring this for you." Tsunade turned around and in her arms was a large wooden box. She walked over to her desk and placed it on the paper covered mess that was her work space. She turned, still blocking the box from Naruto's eye, as she looked deep into his eyes. "I will do everything in my power to protect you. But I understand. For seventeen years the world has thought that you were dead along with all the other Wind Nomads. Today they will know the truth."

Naruto nodded as he wrapped his arms around Tsunade. She smiled softly as she too wrapped her arms around the boy. "Thank you Baa-chan. I know this is the right thing to do."

Tsunade closed her eyes and hugged the boy tightly to her before she pulled away and walked towards the door. Naruto followed her with his eyes and when she reached the door she stopped. "Once you are ready come out the way you came. When you get to the bottom of the steps directly to your right you will see a weird line in the smooth stone. This line is actually the hinge of a door. Push against the stone and a door will open. I will be waiting at the end of the hall."

"Yes Baa-chan." Though she wasn't looking at him Naruto bowed as a warmth spread through him.

"Don't keep me waiting gaki. The ceremony starts in less than ten minutes." Without waiting for the boy to reply Tsunade opened the door and left.

Naruto closed his eyes as he turned back towards to the box. Slowly sapphire eyes opened as he gazed down at the box. "Wow…" Naruto reached out a shaking hand and gently touched the box. Carved into the lid of the box was the spiral stamp of the Wind Nomad. Surrounding the spiral was the other four element's seals. Naruto grasped the lid and slowly opened the box.

Lying on top of a folded piece of white silk was a letter. The name 'Naruto' was written in beautiful script. With shaking fingers Naruto reached for the envelope. "I wonder who's writing this is?" Naruto flipped the envelope over and broke the wax seal. An old piece of parchment was inside. Upon opening it Naruto felt tears spring to his eyes.

_My Dearest Child,_

_If you are reading this than I am not longer with you. For that I am truly sorry. I wish that I could see you grow but fate has different plans for me. My child I am your mother. I was forced to leave the other Wind Nomads because of the Akatsuki. But before I was sent away the Elder's of our Clan gave me what I am about to give you._

_Within this box is the Tunic of the Wind Nomads. It has been changed slightly to reflect that you are not only a Wind Nomad but that you are the Jinchuuriki. Please wear this tunic with pride, honor, and most of all wear this garb proudly for all the Wind Nomads. I fear that you may be the last of us my child but we will always be with you. I will always be with you._

_With all my love,_

_Your Mother_

Naruto wiped haphazardly at his eyes as tears ran down his cheeks. His mother had gifted him with the tunic of his people. These clothes were the last things that his mother gave him, the only thing his mother gave him. He would do as the letter stated and he would wear these clothes with pride and honor. Naruto gently placed the letter on the desk before he unfolded the white silk to see the clothes underneath.

A brilliant smile graced Naruto's face as he gazed down upon the tunic. "This is perfect!" Naruto reached up to his tunic and started to loosen the collar. He was going to wear his new tunic for all the Wind Nomads that no longer walked the world in mortal form. _I will make them all proud of me!_

/…/…/

Sasuke knelt before the pillar of fire. It was almost time for the testings. The sun was a mere half an hour away from setting, the judges had already entered the field and the Water Masters and Healers were all standing behind them. Sasuke knew that he should be getting excited but there was just one problem. Naruto was nowhere to be seen. The blonde had run off to the Hokage and no one had seen him since.

Sakura had even questioned Sasuke about it when she had stood near him. But he just shook his head. One because you were not to talk when you where kneeling before the Fire Pillar and two because he just didn't want to talk to her. But Sasuke knew that his question of where the boy was was going to be answered soon because the only one left to join them on the battlegrounds were the Flame Masters and the Hokage herself.

Sasuke's attention, like everyone else's, was drawn to the last set of doors that were to be opened. The seal doors of the Hokage and the Jinchuuriki opened soundless to the battlegrounds. Sasuke watched as last year's Flame Masters entered first. First to enter was Nara Shikamaru, Master of the Black Binding Flames. Next to come was Tenten, Master of the Flaming Blades. These two were both twenty and had passed the tests last year with amazing results. Sasuke bowed his head, like the other three participates, to their Masters.

After Nara and Tenten came Jiraiya, the Master of the Sage Flames. Following right beside Jiraiya was Sasuke's own brother Uchiha Itachi, Master of the Illusion Flames. Again Sasuke and the others bowed their heads to the Masters as they waited for the Hokage to enter the battlegrounds. Once the Hokage entered Sasuke knew that he would be excited for the testings. After all if she came out looking fine then Sasuke would know that Naruto was alright as well. _Why do I even need to know about the dobe?!I don't care about him! Okay…so maybe a little…_

Tsunade entered and the stadium erupted in cheers. Sasuke let out a breath as he saw that the Hokage had a smile on her face as she walked the length of the battlegrounds and came to a stop in front of the Fire Pillar. She turned to the participates and bowed before turning towards the villagers that had come to watch the testing.

The Hokage raised her arms and the stadium fell into silence. "Welcome people of Konoha! Another year has come and we are once again upon the Testings of the Flame Masters!" Sasuke cringed slightly at the overwhelming cheers of the people. Again the Hokage raised her arms and the people fell silent. "However this year is different than all the years that I have been Hokage. This year is truly a year to celebrate. For what was lost has been returned to us."

Sasuke's eyebrows knitted together slightly. _What is she talking about?_ Sasuke was drawn from his musing as the Hokage started to speak once again. "Seventeen years ago we faced a mighty blow. The world lost one of the great races of the Elementals. We lost the Wind Nomads." Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly. No one liked to be remained that the Wind Nomads were no longer. That the Wind Pillar would never be lit. _Why is she talking about that before the testings?! Is she trying to throw us all off or something?!_

"Today will forever mark the beginning of our brighter future. Today will be remembered as the day the wind returned. People of Konoha please welcome back a lost but not forgotten brother of the elements. Konoha welcome the Jinchuuriki!"

"What?!" Sasuke quickly snapped his mouth shut. He knew that he wasn't the only one to yell out. A lot of people were standing and leaning over the edge to try and see into the blackened doorway of the Hokage and Jinchuuriki door; hell he was one of them.

The murmurs of the people grew as the tension of the stadium became so thick it was almost visible. Sasuke licked his lips as he refused to blink his eyes. He wouldn't believe the Hokage until he saw it with his own eyes.

"Look!"

"Someone is coming!"

Sasuke ignored the villagers as he too saw someone's silhouette coming towards the entrance of the doorway. Slowly the figure walked towards them but as they drew closer and closer Sasuke couldn't help but feel an overwhelming power pouring from the person. But the strangest thing was that Sasuke knew he had felt this power before. It was very small before but he had felt it.

"Oh my! Naruto?!"

Sasuke's head snapped to look at Sakura as the girl stared at the doorway. Her eyes were widened and he jaw was hanging open. Sasuke swallowed, took a deep breath as he turned his head back towards the door. Walking out of the doorway and towards the Hokage was… "Naruto?"

/…/…/

Author's Note: Thank you all again for taking the time to read my story. Please review! They make me continue to write such long chapters for you all! Plus they cause me to update faster ^_^ I will reply to my reviewers in the next chapter. Lots of Love and Hugs!!!! Tal ^_^


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